Fleet management system

ABSTRACT

Materials handling vehicles are integrated with enterprise computing systems by providing a transceiver on a vehicle, where the transceiver is configured for wireless data communication across a wireless computing environment. More particularly, integration is implemented by configuring a processor on the materials handling vehicle to: communicate with the transceiver for wireless communication to a corresponding server computer, to communicate with at least one electronics component of the materials handling vehicle across a vehicle network bus and to receive logon information to identify an operator logging onto the materials handling vehicle. Integration also comprises configuring the processor to implement at least one customization function on the materials handling vehicle based upon the received logon information by: wirelessly communicating information between the server computer and the materials handling vehicle via the transceiver and interacting with at least one component of the materials handling vehicle across the materials handling vehicle network bus.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/956,045 entitled “FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM,” filed Dec. 13, 2007, nowallowed, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/869,845 filed Dec. 13, 2006 entitled “FLEET MANAGEMENTSYSTEM,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wireless strategies may be deployed by business operations, includingdistributors, retail stores, manufacturers, etc., to improve theefficiency and accuracy of business operations. Wireless strategies mayalso be deployed by such business operations to avoid the insidiouseffects of constantly increasing labor and logistics costs. In a typicalwireless implementation, workers are linked to a management systemexecuting on a corresponding computer enterprise via a mobile wirelesstransceiver. The wireless transceiver may be used as an interface to themanagement system to direct workers in their tasks, e.g., by instructingworkers where and/or how to pick, pack, put away, move, stage, processor otherwise manipulate the items within the operator's facility. Thewireless transceiver may also be used in conjunction with a suitableinput device to scan, sense or otherwise read tags, labels or otheridentifiers to track the movement of designated items within thefacility.

In order to move items about the operator's facility, workers oftenutilize materials handling vehicles, including for example, forklifttrucks, hand and motor driven pallet trucks, etc. However, disruptionsin the operation of such materials handling vehicles impact the abilityof the management system and corresponding wireless strategy to obtainpeak operating efficiency. Moreover, conventional enterprise software,including corresponding management systems do not account for, track,communicate with or otherwise provide insight into the availability,health, status, suitability of the materials handling vehicles toperform the required work. Still further, conventional enterprisesoftware, including corresponding management systems do not providetools to manage access to, and operation of, the available materialshandling vehicles within the facility in an efficient and integratedmanner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to various aspects of the present invention, a method ofintegrating materials handling vehicles with enterprise computingsystems comprises providing a transceiver on a materials handlingvehicle, the transceiver configured for wireless data communicationacross a wireless computing environment. The method further comprisesconfiguring a processor on the materials handling vehicle to communicatewith the transceiver for wireless communication across the wirelesscomputing environment to a corresponding server computer and configuringthe processor to communicate with at least one electronics component ofthe materials handling vehicle across a vehicle network bus. The methodstill further comprises configuring the processor to receive logoninformation to identify an operator logging onto the materials handlingvehicle. The method yet further comprises configuring the processor toimplement at least one customization function on the materials handlingvehicle based upon the received logon information by wirelesslycommunicating information between the server computer and the materialshandling vehicle via the transceiver and interacting with at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle across the materialshandling vehicle network bus.

According to further aspects of the present invention, a method ofimplementing a reconfigurable wireless communications system between amaterials handling vehicle and a corresponding server comprisesproviding a transceiver on a materials handling vehicle, the transceiverconfigured for wireless data communication across a wireless computingenvironment. The method further comprises configuring a processor on thematerials handling vehicle to communicate with the transceiver forwireless communication across the wireless computing environment to acorresponding server computer. The method still further comprisesproviding identification information from the processor on the materialshandling vehicle to the server computer identifying at least one of avehicle or an operator and receiving customization parameters from theapplications server based upon the provided identification information.The method also comprises reconfiguring at least one feature of thematerials handling vehicle according to the retrieved customizationparameters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description of various embodiments of the presentinvention can be best understood when read in conjunction with thefollowing drawings, where like structure is indicated with likereference numerals, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication systemthat allows mobile devices, such as forklift trucks and other industrialvehicles to wirelessly communicate with a server;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the wireless communication systemof FIG. 1, in an implementation that is distributed across multiplesites;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the wireless communication systemof FIG. 1 in an implementation that is further communicably coupled to aremote server;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a plurality of enterprise systemscommunicably coupled to a common server, where each enterprise comprisesan implementation of the wireless communication system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5A is an illustration of an exemplary mobile asset informationlinking device for enabling wireless communication;

FIG. 5B is an exemplary operator's compartment of a material handlingvehicle illustrating a mobile asset information linking device forenabling wireless communication, which is integrated into a vehiclecontrol area;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary integration of the componentsof a mobile asset information linking device into the control system ofa mobile asset;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of eventtriggered data recording according to various aspects of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an illustrative logon workflow;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of an exemplary checklist operation;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of an exemplary checklist operation with assetderived checklist verification;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the communication of referencematerial from an application server to a mobile asset;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram for implementing mobile asset performancetuning;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram for implementing geofencing;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram for receiving wireless software upgrades;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a processor and memory of a wirelesscommunications interface controller; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for wirelesscommunication of environmental information.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the detailed description, reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way ofillustration, and not by way of limitation, specific embodiments inwhich the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of various embodiments of thepresent invention.

According to various aspects of the present invention, systems ofhardware and software are provided for enabling mobile assets tocommunicate across a wireless network environment. Systems,computer-implemented methods and computer program products are alsoprovided for leveraging wireless communication and/or processingcapabilities of mobile assets against a robust software solution toimplement enterprise wide asset management functions, to integratemobile asset data into existing enterprise workflows and/or to enabletrusted third party integration into the enterprise for enhanced assetand/or workflow management.

System Architecture

Aspects of the present invention comprise systems that enable mobileassets to wirelessly communicate with applications deployed in anenterprise computing environment. As used herein, a mobile asset is anyequipment that is capable of moving or otherwise being moved about awork site. Exemplary mobile assets include materials handling vehicles,such as forklift trucks, reach trucks, turret trucks, walkie stackertrucks tow tractors, hand operated pallet trucks, etc.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, an exemplarycomputing environment 10 is illustrated, which includes components thatsupport wireless communication capabilities. A plurality of mobileassets 12, such as materials handling vehicles (shown as forklift trucksfor convenience of illustration), each include a communications devicethat enables that mobile asset 12 to wirelessly communicate with aprocessing device, such as a mobile asset application server 14. Themobile asset application server 14 may further interact with a dataresource 16, e.g., one or more databases, data stores or other sourcesof information, to facilitate interaction with the mobile assets 12 aswill be described in greater detail herein.

The computing environment 10 may further support additional processingdevices 18, which may comprise for example, servers, personal computers,notebook computers, transactional systems, appliance or pervasivecomputing devices such as personal data assistants (PDA), palmcomputers, cellular access processing devices, special purpose computingdevices, network storage device and/or other devices capable ofinteracting with the computing environment 10. One or more of theprocessing devices 18 may also communicate with the mobile assets 12and/or the mobile asset application server 14 across the computingenvironment 10.

The wireless communication architecture may be based upon a standardwireless fidelity (WiFi) infrastructure, such as may be deployed usingstandard 802.11 b/g wireless networks for a communications protocol.However, any other suitable protocol may alternatively be implemented.For example, one or more wireless access points 20 may be utilized torelay data between a wireless transceiver of each mobile asset 12 andone or more wired devices of the computing environment 10, e.g., themobile asset application server 14. In this regard, each access point 20may comprise any device capable of relaying data between wired andwireless connections. The number of access points 20 and the placementthereof may be determined based upon the specific implementation. Forexample, in a relatively large site, e.g., a large warehouse,distribution facility, retail outlet, etc., numerous access points 20may be required to provide wireless communications coverage across adesignated area in which the mobile assets 12 are to be operated.

Moreover, the computing environment 10 may be supported by one or morehubs 22 and/or other networking components that interconnect the varioushardware and/or software processing devices, including for example,routers, firewalls, network interfaces and correspondinginterconnections. The particular networking components provided in thecomputing environment 10 may thus be selected to support one or moreintranets, extranets, local area networks (LAN), wide area networks(WAN), wireless networks (WiFi), the Internet, including the world wideweb, and/or other arrangements for enabling communication across thecomputing environment 10, either real time or otherwise, e.g., via timeshifting, batch processing, etc.

Referring to FIG. 2, a distributed enterprise architecture may also beimplemented, for example, wherein several local computing environments10 are connected across a network 24, such as a LAN, WAN, the Internet,etc. Each local computing environment 10 may represent, for example, oneof n different sites that comprise a larger computing enterprise 26,where the enterprise 26 provides some form of common network control orsupervision over the associated local computing environments 10. Forexample, an entity may have operations at multiple distinct physicalsite locations, yet the computing systems at each site areinterconnected, capable of communication or are otherwise integrated.Under this configuration, each site may maintain its own mobile assetapplication server 14, or the enterprise 26 may manage each site 1−nfrom a centralized location. For purposes of illustration, the mobileasset application server 14 is shown as residing at site 1. Under thisarrangement, mobile assets 12 at sites 2−n may communicate with themobile asset application server 14 across the network 24.

Referring to FIG. 3, in yet another exemplary implementation, one ormore computing environments 10 and/or computing enterprises 26 mayfurther communicate with a remote server 30, such as across the network32. The remote server 30 may comprise, for example, a third party serverthat interacts with the mobile assets 12, the mobile asset applicationserver 14 and/or other processing devices 18 of the computingenvironment(s) 10/computing enterprise(s) 26. The remote server 30 mayfurther interact with a data resource 34, e.g., one or more databases,data stores or other sources of information, as will be described ingreater detail herein. In this configuration, the network 32 may be thesame as, or different from the network 24 seen in FIG. 2. For example,both networks 24, 32 may comprise the Internet. As another example, thenetwork 24 may comprise a LAN or WAN and the network 32 may comprise theInternet.

Referring to FIG. 4, the remote server 30 may interact with multiplecomputing enterprises 26, where each computing enterprise 26 may haveone or more sites, e.g., local computing environments 10 as shown inFIG. 2. This allows, for example, a third party such as the manufacturerof the mobile assets 12 to electronically communicate with participatingcomputer enterprises 26, including communications with select mobileassets 12, a select mobile asset communications server 14, a select dataresource 16 and/or other processing device 18 within a correspondingenterprise 26, as will be described in greater detail herein. FIG. 4further illustrates an exemplary enterprise 26 as having a computingenvironment including multiple processing devices 18 as well as multipleaccess points 20 to illustrate the flexibility of these exemplaryimplementations.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4 generally, it can be seen that, depending uponthe particular implementation, data corresponding to wirelesscommunications with mobile assets 12 may be locally maintained, e.g., ata particular site such as a local computing environment 10. Datacorresponding to wireless communications with mobile assets 12 may alsobe shared across sites of a larger computing enterprise 26. Stillfurther, data corresponding to wireless communications with mobileassets 12 may be shared between sites/enterprises 10, 26 etc., andremote server(s) 30, which may be maintained by a trusted third party,such as a mobile asset manufacturer, or multiple trusted third parties.

Wireless Communication System Interfaces

Conceptually, at least three general classes of interface may beprovided for interacting with the wireless communication systemsillustrated in FIGS. 1-4. The first class of interface is provided at amobile asset 12. The second class of interface is provided at anintra-enterprise fixed location and the third class of interface isprovided at an inter-enterprise location.

An “intra-enterprise fixed location” corresponds to a fixed locationprocessing device (not installed on a mobile asset 12) that is under thecontrol and/or supervision of an entity associated with a correspondingenterprise 26. As an example, the second (intra-enterprise) class ofinterface may be implemented by a software client that is executed on apersonal computer, laptop, etc., within a corresponding local computingenvironment 10 or is otherwise part of the enterprise 26, which islogged into the mobile asset application server 14. The software clientmay alternatively be logged into a processing device 18, such as awarehouse management system application that interacts with one or moremobile assets 12 and/or the mobile asset application server 14, etc.

An “inter-enterprise” location corresponds to a remote location outsidethe control/supervision of a computing environment 10 or associatedenterprise 26. For example, a third (inter-enterprise) class ofinterface may be implemented by a software client that is executed on aremote location processing device, such as a personal computer, laptop,etc., logged into the remote server 30, which may be operated by atrusted third party, such as an equipment manufacturer. Theinter-enterprise interface may enable interaction with data stored in acorresponding data resource 34, which was obtained via communicationwith one or more mobile asset information servers 14 and/or mobileassets 12 from one or more enterprises 26. The inter-enterpriseinterface may also/alternatively enable interaction between the remoteserver 30 and one or more of the mobile assets 12 or the mobile assetapplication servers 14 across one or more corresponding computingenvironments 10/enterprises 26. A Web-browsing style of client may beutilized to implement one or more of the various classes of interface aswill be described in greater detail below.

The role of the user at a particular interface may influence how thatuser interacts with the system according to various aspects of thepresent invention. For example, an enterprise user who wishes tointeract with the system at a mobile asset interface may assume the roleof a mobile asset operator, an intra-enterprise authorized user who maynot be the asset operator, such as a supervisor/manager, an informationtechnology support person, a mechanic/service person, etc. Likewise, athird party user may access the system via a mobile asset interface,such as when implementing the role of anasset/component/accessory/peripheral supplier or manufacturer,technician, support person, sales representative, etc. Each user mayhave different needs, goals, capabilities, limitations and requirementswhen interacting with the wireless communication system from the mobileasset interface, examples of which are described herein.

Likewise, an enterprise user at an intra-enterprise fixed locationinterface of the wireless communication system, e.g., a user at acomputer logged into a corresponding mobile asset application server 14,may implement any number of roles, including for example: anintra-enterprise authorized user, such as a supervisor/manager; aninformation technology administrator or support person; amechanic/service person; an asset operator who is not currentlyoperating a mobile asset, etc. Again, each user may have differentneeds, goals, capabilities, limitations and requirements wheninteracting with the wireless communication system from theintra-enterprise fixed location interface.

The inter-enterprise (remote) interface may be utilized, for example, bya trusted third party, such as an asset manufacturer, supplier,maintenance provider, sales representative, etc. Similarly, assetcomponent and asset peripheral manufacturers, suppliers, maintenanceproviders, sales representatives, etc., may also interact with thewireless communications system, e.g., via an inter-enterprise remoteinterface. Whether or not an inter-enterprise remote interface/remoteserver 30 can interact with a particular enterprise 26 will likelydepend upon the specific implementation of the various aspects of thewireless communications system described in greater detail herein.

The Mobile Asset Interface

Referring to FIG. 5A, an exemplary mountable mobile asset informationlinking device 38 is illustrated. The mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 implements a mobile asset interface that facilitatesinteraction with the user at the mobile asset 12, e.g., a materialshandling vehicle, and is enabled by hardware and software as will bedescribed in greater detail herein. The illustrated mobile assetinformation linking device 38 includes, in general, an antenna 40 thatcouples to a transceiver for wireless communication (not shown in FIG.5A), a display 41 and controls 42 for interacting with a user. Althoughshown for purposes of illustration as an external antenna 40, theantenna may alternatively be internal to the linking device or otherwiseconfigured. The information linking device 38 may further includeadditional features, such as a reading device 43 such as a fob reader orother device for electronically obtaining operator login information.Operator login procedures are described in greater detail herein.

The mobile asset information linking device 38 may alternatively beintegrated with (built into) a corresponding mobile asset 12 asillustrated in FIG. 5B. As shown for purposes of illustration, themobile asset information linking device 38 is integrated into a workarea, e.g., a console of an operator's compartment. Under thisconfiguration, the features of the mobile asset interface 38, describedmore fully herein, can be integrated directly with other existingvehicle features and functions typically implemented on the display andcorresponding controls.

Within a given computing enterprise 26, site 10, or other suitablecomputing environment, each mobile asset information linking device 38is assigned or otherwise derives a unique identifier that is known ormade known to the corresponding mobile asset application server 14.Thus, using the known identifiers, the mobile asset application server14 may conduct targeted communications with specific mobile assetinformation linking devices 38, or broadcast information to groups orall of the mobile asset information linking devices 38 that areassociated with that mobile asset application server 14.

According to an aspect of the present invention, to initiatecommunication between the mobile asset application server 14 and amobile asset information linking device 38, an acknowledgment sequenceis implemented. For example, the mobile asset application server 14 maysend out a request or ping a specific mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 on a mobile asset 12. If the pinged mobile asset informationlinking device 38 responds, an exchange of information between themobile asset information linking device 38 and the mobile assetapplication server 14 occurs.

Referring to FIG. 6, a block diagram illustrates an exemplaryimplementation of a mobile asset information linking device 38 that hasbeen integrated into a control system of a corresponding mobile asset12, such as a materials handling vehicle. The integrated system shown inFIG. 6 may be implemented regardless of whether the mobile assetinformation linking device 38 is mounted to a mobile asset 12 as anadd-on (FIG. 5A) or whether the mobile asset information linking device38 is integrated into the corresponding mobile asset 12 (FIG. 5B). Themobile asset information linking device 38 comprises a display controlmodule 44 for controlling the display 41 (shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B) and aninput/output control module 45 that is associated with the controls 42(also shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B). The mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 further comprises a transceiver 46, a monitoring input/outputmodule 48, a wireless communications interface controller 50 and vehiclepower enabling/conditioning circuitry 52.

The transceiver 46 may provide, for example, two-way communication withprocessing devices, including server computers such as the mobile assetapplication server 14 across the corresponding computing environment.The monitoring input/output module 48 may be utilized to receive sensorand control inputs and/or to control outputs such as horns, buzzers,lights and other asset components and/or devices. As just a fewexemplary illustrations, the monitoring input/output module 48 mayinterface with analog sensors 54, switches 56, encoders and othersimilar input devices 58, impact sensor(s) 60, meter input(s) 62 and anyother analog or digital input and/or output signals 64 to integrate suchinformation into the wireless communications system. The monitoringinput/output module 48 allows data logging capabilities which can beused, for example, to monitor travel usage meters, hydraulic usagemeters, steering usage meters, operator usage meters, miscellaneoussensor inputs and other types of asset related data.

Information detected by the monitoring input/output module 48 may betemporarily stored, collected, maintained, manipulated and/or otherwiseprocessed, e.g., by a processor and corresponding memory (not shown inFIG. 6) in the interface controller 50 or other suitable processor andmemory, which may be provided as part of the mobile asset electronics.Further, the collected information may be communicated to acorresponding mobile asset application server 14, for example, using thetransceiver 46.

The interface controller 50 may comprise a suitable processor, memory,software, resident firmware, etc., to control the functions of themobile asset information linking device 38 as described more fullyherein. Moreover, the processor of the interface controller isconfigured to communicate with the transceiver 46 for wirelesscommunication across the wireless computing environment to acorresponding server computer, e.g., the applications server 14. Themobile asset power enabling circuitry 52, where applicable, allows powerto be provided to the mobile asset information linking device 38, evenwhen the corresponding mobile asset 12, such as a materials handlingvehicle, is powered down. Moreover, the mobile asset power enablingcircuitry 52 can be tied to the mobile asset ignition to prevent mobileasset startup unless certain conditions are met, or to force mobileasset shut down, as schematically represented by the switch shown withinbox 52. As an example, mobile asset startup conditions may be evaluatedby the interface controller 50 of the mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 or other suitable processor before allowing the mobile asset12 to be powered up and fully functional for operation.

In an illustrative implementation where a mobile asset 12 comprises amaterials handling vehicle, such as a forklift truck, the components ofthe mobile asset information linking device 38 may be coupled to and/orcommunicate with other mobile asset system components via a suitablemobile asset network system 68, e.g., a vehicle network bus. The mobileasset network system 68 is any wired or wireless network, bus or othercommunications capability that allows electronic components of themobile asset 12 to communicate with each other. As an example, themobile asset network system 68 may comprise a controller area network(CAN) bus, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Local Interconnect Network (LIN),time-triggered data-bus protocol (TTP) or other suitable communicationstrategy. As will be described more fully herein, utilization of themobile asset network system 68 enables seamless integration of thecomponents of the mobile asset information linking device 38 into thenative electronics including controllers of the mobile asset 12 andoptionally, any electronics peripherals associated with the mobile asset12 that integrate with and can communicate over the network system 68.

Thus, as an example, a processor provided on a materials handlingvehicle, e.g., as provided within the interface controller 50 orotherwise integrated into the materials handling vehicle, may beconfigured to implement at least one function by wirelesslycommunicating with the application server via the transceiver 46 and byinteracting with at least one component of the materials handlingvehicle across the vehicle network bus, such as by communicating with atleast one native control module 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 of thematerials handling vehicle across the vehicle network system 68.Integration is further achieved where the event codes and othercommunications across the vehicle network bus are well understood by theinformation linking device 38, thus enabling interaction between theapplications server 14, the information linking device 38 and thematerials handling vehicle at the machine component level.

For example, the processor provided within the interface controller 50or otherwise integrated into the materials handling vehicle maycommunicate configuration information to at least one component of thematerials handling vehicle across the vehicle network bus and/or receiveoperational information from one or more components of the vehicleacross the vehicle network system 68 that is conveyed to theapplications server 14. The processor may also filter, manipulate orotherwise process information communicated across the vehicle networkbus, numerous examples of which are described in greater detail herein.

The CAN protocol is a convenient network platform for mobile assets 12,such as material handling vehicles, as there is no addressing ofsubscribers or stations in the conventional network sense. Rather, theCAN defines a prioritized system of transmitted messages where thepriority of a given message broadcast across the CAN is dependent uponan identifier code. That is, each CAN participant may broadcast amessage that includes an identifier and the message to be communicated.

Each message may compete for bus access with messages generated by otherparticipants on the CAN, and priority will typically be determined basedupon the identifier codes. However, a message broadcast from a firstparticipant can be received by all nodes or participants connected tothe CAN bus. Each participant may be programmed to decide, e.g., basedupon the identifier or other information encoded in the receivedmessage, whether that participant should take action based upon thereceived messages. The mobile asset network system 68 may alternativelycomprise any other bus system or communications architectures. As such,each network participant may broadcast, unicast or otherwise communicatewith one or more of the other participants of the mobile asset networksystem 68.

Where the information linking device 38 is connected to the mobile assetnetwork system 68, communication is open and may be performed betweencomponents of or otherwise connected to the information linking device38 and other mobile asset system components and modules, thus enabling astrong coupling of wireless features with core vehicle capabilities. Forexample, the mobile asset may include a component or module such as adisplay and corresponding display controller 70. The display may be aconventionally implemented device that provides vehicle operatingstatus, maintenance messages, etc. Communication of the informationlinking device 38 with the display and display controller 70, e.g., viathe network system 68 allows consolidation of displays and directs thevehicle operator to a single reference point for interaction with thevehicle and wireless capabilities.

As another example, the information linking device 38 may communicatewith input/output controls and corresponding I/O controller 72, such asfor controlling switches, buttons, levers, handles, pedals, etc., thatare assigned to functions of the mobile asset. The information linkingdevice 38 may also communicate with a vehicle control module (VCM) 74that controls the electronic capabilities of the mobile asset, a motorcontrol module 76 that controls the drive wheels of the vehicle, ahydraulics control module 78 that controls the hydraulics, e.g., thelift of the vehicle and any other controllers/modules and otherelectronics 80 that are associated with the mobile asset. Still further,the information linking device 38 may communicate with othermiscellaneous devices such as a keyless entry fob reader 82 or any otherdevices that are attached to the vehicle.

The controllers/modules and other electronics 80, 82 may also includescanning technologies such as bar code scanners, RFID and other tagreading technologies, hardware for supporting warehouse managementsystems and other enterprise software, printers and other output devicesas well as other technologies that an operator may currently utilize asseparate components.

As an alternative to communication over the network system 68,components may be communicably coupled to the information linking device38 via an input 64 coupled to the monitoring input/output module 48 orvia other suitable input to the interface controller 50, such as where agiven separate component, e.g., a tag reader, cannot communicate acrossthe CAN bus or other suitable vehicle network system 68 of the mobileasset 12.

Regardless of whether various components communicate over the networksystem 68, e.g., vehicle components, or via the input 64 of theinformation linking device 38, the various components of the mobileasset 12, e.g., the I/O controller 72, the VCM 74, motor control module76, hydraulics control module 78 and other controllers 80 can beintegrated into an enterprise infrastructure by utilizing the mobileasset information linking device 38 to merge all information flowinginto or out of the mobile asset 12 into a wirelessly communicated datastream that interacts with other enterprise resources.

In an illustrative implementation, the mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 comprises a display 41 that may communicate across the mobileasset network system 68, e.g., CAN bus. This allows the display 41 to beshared with mobile asset modules outside of the device 38. Moreover, themobile asset 12 may already comprise a suitable display, such as thedisplay 70 that can communicate across the CAN bus, e.g., with theinterface controller 50. Under this arrangement, the display 41 in theinformation linking device 38 may be optional. Similarly, theinput/output control module 45 may be optional, e.g., where suitablecontrols capable of interfacing with the interface controller 50 areimplemented by the input/output controls 72 of the mobile asset 12.

Thus, as an illustrative example, software on the application server 14may be utilized to store customization parameters that are utilized tocustomize one or more features of a materials handling vehicle. Basedupon identification information provided from the materials handlingvehicle to the applications server 14, e.g., identification of theparticular materials handling vehicle or logged on operator,customization parameters may be received by the materials handlingvehicle from the applications server 14 via the transceiver of itscorresponding information linking device 38. The customizationparameters may be used to reconfigure at least one feature of thematerials handling vehicle, examples of which are described more fullyherein.

As an illustrative example, the monitoring input/output module 48 may beutilized to couple control inputs and/or outputs to the processor in thecorresponding wireless communications interface controller 50 via aconnector. As illustrated, there are “N” wires that couple the connectorto corresponding input and output components, shown as components 54,56, 58, 60, 62 and 64. It may be that different vehicles will havedifferent input/output requirements. Still further, events of the sametype of input output device may operate differently, e.g., based uponthe logic implemented, such as active high or active low, etc.Accordingly, a server administrator may map inputs and outputs for anyvehicle by storing input/output pin programming parameters at theapplication server 14.

Thus, for example, the application server 14 may be used to customizeand set up the definitions, parameters, etc. for each pin on theconnector and convey this information to the vehicle so that theprocessor in the interface controller 50 may configure the input/outputmodule 48 to identify the pins for the appropriate hardware installedthereto. Thus, the features of the wire assignments can be reconfiguredaccording to the retrieved customization parameters associated with thevehicle identification. As such, the processor of the interfacecontroller 50 may communicate with the plurality of electroniccomponents, e.g., 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64 via the monitoring I/O module48 based upon parameters that assign specific functions to each of theplurality of wires that couple the processor to the plurality ofelectronic components.

Data Collection

Information detected by the monitoring input/output module 48 orotherwise obtained by accessing the network system 68 may be temporarilystored, collected, maintained, manipulated and/or otherwise processed,e.g., by a processor and corresponding memory in the interfacecontroller 50 or other suitable processor and memory, which may beprovided as part of the mobile asset electronics. Further, the collectedinformation may be communicated to the application server 14, forexample, using the transceiver 46. Thus, the information linking device38 may be used to facilitate the coupling of data logging from themobile asset 12 to the asset application server 14. As will be describedin greater detail herein, this approach can be used to create a historyof operational parameter values that may vary over time, such as speed,temperature, battery state of charge, proprietary service codes, height,weight and other measurable parameters.

As an example, the exchange of information across the vehicle networksystem 68 of a materials handling vehicle may be monitored. If apredetermined event associated with the materials handling vehicle isdetected, the processor provided within the interface controller 50 orotherwise integrated into the materials handling vehicle may beconfigured to implement a function in response to detecting apredetermined event by wirelessly communicating information associatedwith the event between a server computer, e.g., the applications server14 and the materials handling vehicle via the transceiver 46. Theprocessor of the interface controller 50 may also interact with at leastone component of the materials handling vehicle across the vehiclenetwork system 68 in response to the event to implement the function.

Thus, the data collection capabilities of the information linking device38 may be utilized to implement event driven data archival activities.For example, the detection of a predetermined event may trigger theprocessor of the interface controller 50 to begin logging certain data,end logging certain data, archive a predetermined window of collecteddata and/or otherwise perform other prescribed operation(s). Theinformation linking device 38 may also continually or periodicallymonitor certain vehicle parameters. If all monitored parameters arewithin prescribed tolerances, such logged data may be subsequentlysummarized, deleted, sent to the applications server 14, etc.

As an illustrative example, if one of the monitored parameters is speed,the system may log a sample of the truck speed at predeterminedintervals. Over a prescribed period of time, if no events of interestare detected, then the system may only save the top speed, a computedaverage speed and/or some other measure.

Referring to FIG. 7, according to aspects of the present invention, amethod 90 is illustrated for integrating materials handling vehicleswith enterprise computing systems. Information is monitored across thevehicle network bus at 92, e.g., to create a data log. If apredetermined triggering event is detected at 94, any additional datamay be communicated to the data log across the materials handlingvehicle network bus at 96. The processor provided within the interfacecontroller 50 or otherwise integrated into the materials handlingvehicle may then communicate information associated with the event at98, e.g., by creating an event report from the data log, where the eventreport may cover data gathered over a window of time, such as spanningfrom a time period before the triggering event to a time after thetriggering event. The processor may also wirelessly communicate thegenerated event report to the application server 14.

If a triggering event is detected, such as the detection of a parameterthat exceeds a predetermined tolerance, then the logged contents can bestored, e.g., by communicating the information to the application server14. Thus for example, if the vehicle speed, load, or other measurableparameter exceeds a threshold or other defined condition, then specificdata may be gathered, collected, assembled, etc. into an event reportand such data may be communicated to the application server 14.

As another example, if an impact from one of the impact sensors isdetected, e.g., if a detected impact exceeds one or more predeterminedimpact conditions, an event process may be triggered that creates anevent report by saving logged data from a time window that may extend apredetermined time before the impact to a predetermined time after theimpact. Additionally, the event may trigger the accumulation of damagedata specific to the impact. For example, upon detecting an impact,certain vehicle components may be selected and polled, e.g., across thevehicle network bus to ascertain operating status information.Additionally, certain data may be desired regardless of the type ofimpact, such as by logging a timestamp, operator identification, etc. Assuch, a flight recorder function may be implemented to create a recordof the event of interest.

As yet a further illustrative example, the triggering of an impact maybe based upon an impact sensor detection that exceeds a predeterminedthreshold value. Such values may be stored as parameters on theapplication server 14 and may be communicated to the vehicle 12. Assuch, the conditions required to satisfy an impact type of event may bedynamically adjusted and customized by modifying parameters at theapplication server 14, and wirelessly communicating the modifiedparameters to the vehicle 12.

An asset operator may leverage the capabilities of the mobile assetapplication server 14 as well as the capabilities of the mobile assetinformation linking device 38 and the mobile asset itself, to implementa number of operator-centric features and/or capabilities of the system.These operator-centric (operator oriented) features are directed toenabling efficiencies, conveniences and functionality related, forexample, to the operation of the mobile asset 12 or of the performanceof the operator's assigned tasks, such asperformance/optimization/customization of the asset,education/assistance and training and/or providing task/workflowefficiency implementations, examples of which are described in greaterdetail below.

Operator Authorization

The wireless communication system may be utilized to facilitate mobileasset operator authorization and/or operator license/certificationmanagement. Under this arrangement, the mobile asset operator isrequired to accomplish a valid logon before a corresponding mobile asset12, e.g., a forklift truck, may be operated. In order to successfullylog onto the mobile asset 12, the logon operation may consider anynumber of factors, conditions and circumstances, examples of which aredescribed in greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 8, a block diagram illustrates an exemplary logonsequence, including corresponding pre-logon server activities. Before auser can log onto the mobile asset, e.g., a forklift truck 12A, the usermust be included in a list of authorized users associated with thatmobile asset (forklift truck 12A in the current example). The list ofauthorized users may be provided to the mobile asset 12A by the mobileasset application server 14, which builds, modifies, maintains orotherwise supports the authorized user lists. The mobile assetapplication server 14 may build or modify lists based upon a manuallyinitiated process, or the mobile asset application server 14 mayperiodically build or modify authorized user lists, such as based uponthe detection of predetermined events including changes in the status ofoperators, mobile assets, etc., based upon predetermined intervals, orbased upon other conditions or circumstances. Examples of generating anddistributing lists of authorized users to corresponding mobile assets 12are described in greater detail herein.

To build a list of authorized users for the forklift truck 12A, themobile asset application server 14 may process through a list ofoperators, such as may be maintained in a database, table or othersuitable format stored within the data resource 16 associated with themobile asset application server 14. For example, the application server14 may consider each user from a list of users at 102, such as beexamining the next user in a list of users. In order to be an authorizeduser for a given mobile asset 12, an operator may be required to meetcertain predetermined requirements and/or conditions.

For example, the mobile asset application server 14 may consider factorssuch as the location of the mobile asset in determining whether a givenuser should be considered an authorized user for a corresponding mobileasset. As an example, a warehouse may include a bonded area that a givenuser may not have authorization to work in. If a corresponding mobileasset 12 is located in the bonded area, then the user may not be anauthorized user. Alternatively, if the same mobile asset is outside thebonded area, then the user may be an authorized user. As anotherexample, a user may not be authorized to drive a forklift truck on aloading dock. Accordingly, that user may be an authorized user, unlessthe corresponding mobile asset is on the loading dock. Alternatively,there may be multiple sites within an enterprise, and a user may only beauthorized at a specific site location. Thus, a user that is authorizedto operate a forklift truck at site 1 (see FIG. 2 for example) may notbe authorized to operate the same forklift truck or same type offorklift truck at sites 2−n.

As still further examples, a user may be authorized to operate onlyspecific types, classes, etc., of mobile assets 12. As an example, auser may be authorized to operate sit-down counter balanced forklifttrucks, but not rider reach trucks. Accordingly, that user may be anauthorized user only in lists associated with sit-down counter balancedforklift trucks. Still further, a user may be authorized only forspecific mobile assets within a given type or class of mobile asset. Asan example, a user may only be authorized to operate a specific forklifttruck, which is identified by a specific unique identifier such as aserial number. Accordingly, that user would only be an authorized userfor a list associated with the corresponding forklift truck having theassociated serial number. Other factors, such as time, day, date, etc.,may also be considered. For example, the end of a work shift couldautomatically trigger a workflow that causes the mobile assetapplication server 14 to build a new list of authorized asset users forselect (or all) mobile assets 12 having authorized user listscorresponding to users working the new shift. This updated list can thenbe automatically communicated to the corresponding mobile assets 12. Asyet a further example, lists of authorized users may be adjusted basedupon obtained/updated certifications, training, etc.

As shown, a check is performed at 104 to ascertain whether anylicense(s)/certificate(s) for that authorized user are required, and ifrequired, whether they are still valid. In this regard, the mobile assetapplication server 14 may maintain a license/certification file thattracks licenses/certifications and their expiration dates (or range ofvalid dates) for each user. Accordingly, the server software may verifythat each operator's licenses/certifications are valid (whereapplicable) by consulting the appropriate file(s). If a select user isan otherwise authorized user, but their license(s)/certification(s) haveexpired, a suitable workflow may be triggered at 106, such as by sendingan e-mail notification or otherwise generating a notice of thelicense/certificate expiration. Further, the operator having the expired(or nonexistent) license or certification may be excluded from theupdated list of authorized users. In this regard, the application server14 may further monitor license/certificate expiration dates and triggerworkflows such as for license/certificate renewal where the expirationdate is within a predetermined range of dates so that appropriateactions can be taken to avoid such expirations.

The system may also check other parameters, events, conditions, etc.examples of which are described above. If the validity checks aresatisfied at 104, the user is added to a list of users for the forklifttruck 12A at 108. A check is made at 110 to determine whether all of theusers have been checked. If there are more users to verify against theircertifications, the process loops back to 102 to consider the next user.Instead of building a new list, the server software may alternativelyalter existing authorized user lists, such as based upon changes to auser's licenses/certificates, operator characteristics, assetcharacteristics or other factors as noted more fully herein.

If all of the users have been considered, the appropriate updated listof authorized users is transmitted from the application server 14 to theforklift truck 12A at 112. For example, as schematically illustrated, anauthorized list of users 114 is wirelessly transmitted from theapplication server 14 to the forklift truck 12A. The frequency at whichthe authorized operators list is updated will depend upon a number offactors of the specific implementation of the system. For example, theapplication server 14 may update the list maintained by the forklifttruck 12A only when the previous list of authorized users changes. Thus,if a user is removed from the list of authorized users, that user willbe removed from the list maintained by the forklift truck 12A the nexttime the application server 14 successfully updates the forklift truck12A with the new list of authorized users at 112.

As an alternative, the wireless communications interface controller 50of the mobile asset information linking device 38 of the forklift truck12A may, from time to time, communicate with the mobile assetapplication server 14 to request updates of its list of approved assetoperators. Still further, the mobile asset information linking device 38may receive new authorized user lists that replace the existingauthorized user list, or the mobile asset application server 14 maycommunicate only the changes to the corresponding authorized user list,in which case, the wireless communications interface controller 50 maymodify its currently stored authorized user list based upon the datareceived from the mobile asset application server 14. Notably, in oneexemplary implementation, the mobile asset 12A only stores a list ofauthorized users, despite the fact that the mobile asset applicationserver 14 may have considered numerous factors in determining who thoseauthorized users are for that mobile asset.

At some point after the forklift truck 12A has been programmed with alist of authorized users, an operator may be required to provide anoperator identification. Accordingly, the operator may present logoninformation at 120, such as by entering a personal identification number(PIN) or other suitable logon information. The logon information can beentered, for example, using controls 42 (as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B)that interact with the input/output control module 45. The logoninformation received by the input/output control module 45 iscommunicated to the interface controller 50, where it can be processedagainst the list of authorized users stored, for example, in the memoryof the interface controller 50.

As an alternative, the operator may utilize a fob that interacts withthe device reader 43 described with reference to FIG. 5A, or theoperator may present a keyless entry fob at 120 that interacts with thefob reader 82 described with reference to FIG. 6 (if provided). Underthis configuration, the fob reader 82 communicates the logon informationto the interface controller 50, such as across the CAN bus or othermobile asset network system 68, via an input 64 coupled to themonitoring input/output module 48 of the mobile asset informationlinking device 38 or via other suitable input to the interfacecontroller 50. Still further, other techniques, including biometricinput technologies may be utilized to communicate logon information tothe interface controller 50.

When a logon is received, the interface controller 50 verifies whetherthe presented logon information identifies an operator that isauthorized to operate the forklift truck at 122. For example, theinterface controller 50 may compare the received identificationinformation, such as an operator ID, against the list of authorized userOperator IDs communicated to the mobile asset 12A by the applicationserver 14. The interface controller 50 may further timestamp and recordthe attempted logon, regardless of whether the logon attempt wassuccessful or failed. If the logon attempt failed, the interfacecontroller 50 may provide an error message at 124, such as by writing asuitable message to the display 41. The failed logon attempt may also berecorded for purposes of data logging. At some convenient time, theforklift truck 12A communicates the operator identification informationand timestamp for successful (and optionally for failed) logon attemptsto the application server 14 at 126. For example, as schematicallyillustrated, a logon attempts file 128 is transmitted from the forklifttruck 12A to the application server 14. Moreover, the system continuesprocessing at 130, e.g. to implement other functions as set out morefully herein.

As noted above, the mobile asset application server 14 keeps track ofeach mobile asset user and the corresponding mobile assets that eachuser is authorized to operate. Authorization by the mobile assetapplication server 14 may be contingent upon a user having one or morevalid (non-expired) license/certification, or based upon any number ofother factors, including asset location, asset class/type, asset serialnumber, day, time, date and other factors. As yet a further example,mobile assets may be allocated to specific areas, locations, tasks orother criteria and users may be authorized to those mobile assets onlyif the user is also associated with the same criteria.

Further, positioning and other technologies may be utilized by themobile asset application server 14 to determine the location of a mobileasset 12 so as to be able to evaluate the associated criteria as theapplication dictates. Thus, even for the same mobile asset 12, anoperator may be authorized under a first set of conditions and notauthorized under a different set of conditions. As an alternative to theabove, decision logic, e.g., environmental conditions, location, time,etc., may be evaluated by the interface controller 50 or otherprocessing logic of the forklift truck 12A or the information linkingdevice 38, or the decision logic may be shared between the applicationserver 14 and/or processing capabilities of the mobile asset 12.

If the license/certification for an asset operator expires, as istracked by server software controlled by the mobile asset applicationserver 14, then the mobile asset application server 14, at a suitabletime, updates the list of authorized users corresponding to the affectedmobile assets. This may automatically disable the asset operator'saccess to the affected mobile assets upon the detected expiration of thelicense/certificate and the associated updating of the authorized usersat the corresponding mobile asset information linking device 38 of thecorresponding mobile asset 12.

As noted above, the application server 14 may build authorization listsbased upon operator ID, mobile asset ID/grouping andlicense/certification/training and other appropriate conditions. Oncethe application server 14 determines the list, only the correspondingoperator IDs need to be wirelessly communicated to each correspondingmobile asset. Thus, at the mobile asset side, the only necessaryparameter may be whether or not the operator ID is present in its locallist of authorized users.

Once logged into the mobile asset 12, the asset operator may be able tooperate the mobile asset 12 as necessary, or further procedures may berequired, such as the completion of a checklist as described in greaterdetail herein. Even though an operator is successfully logged into amobile asset 12 for operation, the wireless communications interfacecontroller 50 may automatically log that operator off, e.g., where assetmonitored activities have been idle for a specific period of time orwhere it has been determined that the operator exited the vehicle.

Numerous techniques may be used to detect operator exit. For example,the system can monitor traction, hydraulics and other mobile assetparameters and determine periods of inactivity. Additionally, sensorsmay be provided on the seat and/or other appropriate locations on themobile asset that may be used to determine whether or not the operatoris still on the mobile asset.

Moreover, the wireless communications interface controller 50 may beprogrammed, e.g., from the mobile asset interface, such as by usingcontrols 42 or from the mobile asset application server 14, to allow amobile asset 12 to be temporarily “locked” for a specific amount oftime. For example, an asset operator may temporarily lock a mobile asset12 to reserve that asset prior to the asset operator being ready forimmediate asset usage. As another example, a mobile asset may betemporarily locked, e.g., by a supervisor or maintenance person todesignate the asset as being unavailable.

Pre-Use Inspection Checklist

An inspection may be desired or required, such as before using a mobileasset 12 or at other appropriate times. Typically, the inspectionprocess is performed by utilizing a paper-based checklist that directsthe user to verify specific enumerated items on the list. Accordingly,the particular checklist may be different for each type of mobile isimplemented.

In an illustrative implementation, after an operator successfully logsinto a materials handling vehicle as described more fully herein, theoperator is required to complete a checklist having a plurality ofchecklist items before the system decides whether to enable thematerials handling vehicle for normal operation, e.g., by presenting aseries of checklist items to the operator via the display 41 or 70,verbally or otherwise. The operator may respond to the checklist itemsand record the appropriate results via the controls 42 provided on themobile asset information linking device 38. This approach to anelectronic checklist may be utilized to ensure that mobile assets 12,such as materials handling vehicles, are inspected for proper operation,to identify need for repairs, enable maintenance alerts, etc. A mobileasset 12 may be locked out from operation or reduced in functionality ofoperation based upon a failure to complete the checklist. A mobile asset12 may also be locked out from operation or reduced in functionality ofoperation as a result of one or more answers provided to the checklist.Moreover, a lockout may remain in force until a determination has beenreached that the mobile asset is in proper operating condition.

For example, where the mobile asset comprises a forklift or othermaterials handling vehicle, the checklist may be presented to the assetoperator in the form of questions, statements, status entries or othersuitable formats that relate to pre-operation and operation of theforklift. Checklist items may also address issues related to the workenvironment, work processes, the operator, etc. As some illustrativeexamples, the operator may be asked to visually inspect a forklift forsigns of structural damage, leaks, operation of components such as thehorn, brakes, steering, hydraulic controls, etc.

Referring to FIG. 9, in an exemplary implementation, a checklistoperation is initiated at 152. The checklist operation may occurautomatically, such as after the operator successfully logs onto themobile asset 12. The checklist items may be generated at the mobileasset application server 14, in which case the checklist items arewirelessly communicated to the mobile asset information linking device38 of the corresponding mobile asset 12 and are stored in the interfacecontroller 50 or other suitable storage location within the informationlinking device 38 or otherwise within the electronics of the mobileasset 12.

Based upon a predetermined interval, the checklist items may be alteredat 154. For example, the interface controller 50 may reorder thechecklist items. Alternatively, the mobile asset application server 14may reorder/alter the checklist items and wirelessly communicate therevised checklist items to the corresponding mobile asset 12. Thus, theoperator may be presented with the checklist items that appear in adifferent order from time to time.

The checklist items can be reordered by randomly scrambling or otherwisechanging their order or sequence. As another example, the checklistitems may be altered by changing whether an “okay” condition isexpressed in a positive or negative. For example, at one time thechecklist item could ask: “Hydraulics working properly?” A next time thechecklist item may ask: “Hydraulics leak?”

The response to each checklist item is recorded at 158. Along with therecorded response, a timestamp or other metadata may be recorded. Acheck is then made at 160 as to whether all of the checklist items havebeen presented to the operator. If not, the operation loops back to 156to present the next checklist item to the operator. If all of thechecklist items have been presented to the operator, a decision is madeat 162 as to whether each of the checklist items has been handledappropriately. If the checklist responses are all okay, then anappropriate action is implemented at 164, such as clearing the checklistscreen and/or enabling the corresponding mobile asset 12 for fulloperation if the mobile asset 12 is not already fully enabled. Forexample, if an evaluation of the results of the checklist for a forklifttruck indicates that the forklift truck is suitable for operation, thetruck may be enabled for normal operation and the results of thechecklist may be wirelessly conveyed to a computer, e.g., theapplication server 14.

Alternatively, if a checklist item response indicates that a problem mayexist, an action is implemented at 166. The precise action may dependupon the nature of the checklist item that indicates a problem. Forexample, if the checklist item relates to a “charged battery” and theoperator answers “no” because the battery is less than fully charged,the mobile asset 12 may be enabled for full operation, and a workflowoperation may be initiated to schedule an appropriate time at a batterychanging/recharging station. As further illustrative examples, themobile asset 12 may be disabled or otherwise reduced in functionalityuntil the detected problem is corrected if warranted by the nature ofthe checklist responses. As noted above, at a suitable time, thechecklist responses recorded at 158 are communicated to a computer,e.g., the mobile asset application server 14 for storage, automatedgeneration of checklist reports, data analysis, etc.

In an exemplary implementation, a single checklist item may be reservedto always be presented last. For example, the checklist operation,regardless of the order of most of the items, may always conclude byasking whether the asset is in condition for operation with a yes/noanswer required. Still further, the system may store questions andexpected responses. If the response provided by the operator is not theexpected response, the non-expected response is also stored.

As another illustrative example, the checklist may ask specificquestions directed to ascertain whether or not the operator candemonstrate that they are suitably trained to operate that mobile asset12. As an example, if the mobile asset comprises a forklift truck, achecklist item may ask “What is the maximum load capacity?” Such achecklist question would require that the operator know the answer, orat least be trained to locate and read a capacity plate or otherdesignated marking provided on the mobile asset 12. Any other questionsmay be asked that require the operator to demonstrate knowledge ofspecific characteristics of the mobile asset 12 to be operated. Thus, asthe operator works with different mobile asset types, the checklistitems can be used to verify that the operator knows and understands thecharacteristics of each mobile asset 12, or knows where to look to findthe appropriate information. In this regard, an incorrect answer may ormay not affect the ability of the operator to utilize the mobile asset12. For example, a wrong answer to a checklist question may be loggedback to the mobile asset application server 14 to trigger an appropriateworkflow, such as to initiate additional operator training For example,an operator that misses checklist item answer(s) may require a refreshertraining activity that may be automatically or manually triggered basedupon an appropriate workflow. The number of missed answers, thefrequency of missed answers or other measure necessary to trigger aworkflow and/or disable mobile asset operation may be based upon anynumber of factors as the specific application may dictate.

The checklist inspection may be required on a per operator/per-shiftbasis. Thus as an example, three different asset operators may log ontothe same mobile asset 12 in one shift and each has to perform thechecklist inspection. However, if an asset operator logs out of themobile asset 12 and then logs back in within the same shift, thechecklist may not be required. Alternatively, the checklist inspectionmay be configurable based upon a predetermined number of hours since theprevious checklist was performed, or based upon other parameters,conditions, rules, etc.

As another exemplary implementation, the time it takes to complete thechecklist may be determined. For example, the interface controller 50 onthe mobile asset 12, or the mobile asset application server 14, mayanalyze at 162, the timestamp associated with each checklist responserecorded at 158 and compare the timestamp with a corresponding “start ofchecklist” timestamp recorded at 152, which designates a time when thechecklist operation began. From this analysis, an inference may be drawnas to whether the operator is taking an appropriate amount of time tocomplete the checklist, or whether the operator is taking aninappropriate amount of time to complete the checklist. Time periods ofinactivity can also be recorded as well as intervals between answers togiven checklist items.

As an example, an appropriate action may be performed if the assetoperator completes the checklist (or a checklist item) in a manner thatis determined inappropriate, e.g., by taking a predetermined action ifit is determined that the checklist items were answered outside of apredetermined range of times (window) such as by completing thechecklist either too quick or too slowly. For example, a time referencemay be set to initialize a start time for the checklist operation andthe time required to respond to the checklist items may be recorded. Adetermination may then be made as to whether the time required torespond to the checklist items is within a predetermined range of times.Correspondingly, a predetermined action may be taken if it is determinedthat the checklist items were answered outside of the predeterminedrange of times, e.g., a predefined suitable time window.

Thus, a mobile asset 12, which has been made fully operational basedupon a user logon, may lockout if the checklist is not completed withina configurable designated time range. In this exemplary configuration,the mobile asset 12 may be fully operational after a successful operatorlogin. But after a prescribed time, if the checklist has not beencompleted to satisfaction, then the mobile asset 12 may be disabled,such as by disabling the mobile asset 12 by sending the appropriatecommand to the vehicle power enable/conditioning 52. The mobile asset 12may alternatively be reduced in functionality or other appropriateaction may be taken. For example, the mobile asset 12 may continue toremain operational, however a buzzer, horn, light or other alarm may beimplemented, such as via the monitoring input/output 48, until asupervisor clears the alarm. In addition, or as an alternative, theinterface controller 50 may send a message to the mobile assetapplication server 14 to initiate a workflow, such as sending an e-mailor otherwise generating a notification that the checklist was notcompleted appropriately. As yet another example, the interfacecontroller 50 on a materials handling vehicle may also communicate withvehicle components across the vehicle network system 68 to reducefunctionality of the vehicle, e.g., limit or restrict travel speed,forks operation, etc.

Additionally, a predetermined time period may be provided for theoperator to complete or otherwise redo the checklist if it is determinedthat the operator did not complete the checklist properly. Thus, a graceperiod or chance to redo the checklist may be presented to the operatorto account for expected situations. For example, an operator who beginsa checklist may be interrupted from completing the checklist. Under thisarrangement, the operator is given a chance to redo the checklist,either by starting over, resuming checklist operation, or by addressingthe matter in other manners deemed appropriate.

In an exemplary implementation, the results of the checklist arewirelessly transmitted to the mobile asset application server 14. Thus,the mobile asset application server 14 may further allow integrationinto existing workflows or the creation of new workflows toautomatically send e-mail to designated personnel based upon responsesto the checklist questions. Accordingly, appropriate maintenance andfurther inspection workflows, checklist reporting workflows and otherchecklist related tasks can be initiated, either automatically ormanually, by the mobile asset application server 14.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the language that thechecklist is displayed in may be varied to accommodate the languagepreference of the operator, e.g., based upon a language preferenceassociated with the operator's logon identification. For example, thechecklist items may be entered at the mobile asset application server 14in a plurality of different languages. When an operator logs onto amobile asset 12, based upon preferences associated with the operator ID,the appropriate language may be selected. As an example, the interfacecontroller 50 on the asset may communicate the operator ID to the mobileasset application server 14. In response thereto, the mobile assetapplication server 14 may respond to the interface controller 50 withchecklist items that are appropriate for the type of mobile asset to beoperated, in a language understood/selected by the asset operatorcorresponding to the logged in operator ID. Any number of languages maythus be supported.

As an alternative, the interface controller 50 may prompt the user for alanguage preference before implementing the checklist operation. In thisregard, messages may be stored within a memory device on the mobileasset in multiple languages. Still further, the mobile asset applicationserver 14 may preload the checklist into a corresponding mobile asset 12in two or more language choices, e.g., so that language determinationscan be made at the mobile asset, such as based upon an operator logonidentification.

Pre-Use Inspection Checklist Verification

As noted in greater detail herein, according to aspects of the presentinvention, the information linking device 38 may be integrated into theexisting mobile asset network system 68. Accordingly, intelligentchecklist monitoring may be implemented.

Referring to FIG. 10, a flow chart illustrates an exemplary approach toimplementing an intelligent checklist operation. The checklist operationis initiated at 172 and a corresponding “start of checklist” timestampmay be generated. As noted above, the start of the checklist 172 may betriggered when an operator logs onto a mobile asset 12, such as aforklift truck, where that operator has not previously logged on to thesame truck within the current work shift or other designated time frame.The checklist may optionally be altered, randomized, etc., as describedabove with reference to FIG. 9, and the checklist process begins. Thenext checklist item is presented to the operator at 174. For example,the checklist, which may be stored in the memory of the interfacecontroller 50, may write the next checklist item to the display 41 (inthe designated language) and await a response to the checklist item viathe controls 42 of the corresponding input/output module 45.

The response to the checklist item is recorded at 176, along withoptional timestamps and/or other metadata if desired. For at least oneof the checklist items, an operator response verification is performed.For example, the mobile asset 12 may be queried to determine if theoperator did, in fact, perform, check or otherwise properly evaluate thesubject of the displayed checklist item at 178. Correspondingly, adecision is made at 180 as to whether the checklist item was actuallyperformed. If it is determined that the checklist item was performed,then an optional checklist okay action may be implemented at 182, suchas by providing an acknowledgement on the display 41, or by taking otheractions, if necessary. Alternatively, an appropriate action may be takenif it is determined that the checklist item was not performed at 184.Exemplary actions at 184 may comprise instructing the operator tocomplete the checklist item, sending an e-mail or other workflowindicating the failure to perform the checklist item, sounding an alarm,horn, lighting or flashing a light, logging the event, etc. A check ismade at 186 as to whether all checklist items have been completed. Ifnot, the operation loops back to present the next checklist item to theoperator at 174. If the checklist has been completed, the processcontinues at 188 by performing tasks as described more fully herein,e.g., by performing the checklist evaluation and the subsequentprocessing described at 162, 164 and 166 with reference to FIG. 9.

As an example, in a typical materials handling vehicle checklist, e.g.,a forklift checklist, an operator response verification for at least oneof the checklist items may be performed by querying at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle to determine whether theoperator complied with a corresponding checklist item. Thus, theoperator may be asked to verify that the steering is working properly.To answer this question properly, the operator may be required toactually operate the steering of the forklift. Under this arrangement, aprocessor provided within the interface controller 50 or otherwiseintegrated into the materials handling vehicle may query the VehicleControl Module 74 or other appropriate module of the mobile assetcontrol system, such as by sending a message to the VCM 74 across theCAN bus or other suitable mobile asset network system 68 to verify thatthe operator actually performed the test, e.g., operated the steering ina manner according to the requirements of the checklist item. Moreover,the processor may verify the accuracy of the operator answers and takethe appropriate action as necessary. As another example, if thechecklist item requires that the user test the hydraulics system, afterreceiving the operator response at 176, the processor can query thehydraulics control module 78 to determine whether the operator properlyutilized the hydraulics in a manner appropriate to formulate a responseto the corresponding checklist item.

Still further, verification that the checklist item was completed doesnot necessarily require detecting actual operation of the mobile asset12. For example, if a checklist item is provided to verify hydraulicfluid levels or battery temperature, then an operator responseverification may be performed by communicating with the correspondingcomponent to electronically verify that the response to the selectchecklist item regarding the measurement or reading has been answeredcorrectly. For example, the processor provided within the interfacecontroller 50 or otherwise integrated into the materials handlingvehicle may obtain readings from sensors, gauges and other vehicleresources to verify whether the operator's answer is appropriate.Moreover, nuisance codes, error conditions and other system diagnosticcodes that are generated by the materials handling vehicle can bechecked to substantiate the operator's responses to the checklist items.The above examples are merely illustrative. Thus any checklist item thatcan be verified by sensors, controllers and other components of themobile asset 12 can be queried or otherwise analyzed to verify that theoperator properly performed the checklist items.

As yet a further example, upon detecting that the operator did notproperly perform the checklist item request, the processor providedwithin the interface controller 50 or otherwise integrated into thematerials handling vehicle may send a message to the mobile assetapplication server 14 or other networked component, such as may beintegrated into a site workflow to inform a manager, supervisor, etc.,that the checklist is not being properly performed.

Accordingly, the operator may be asked in the checklist to operate thehydraulics, check the brakes, check the hour meter, battery charge, stoplights, fluid levels, etc. Because of the integration and communicationof appropriate components into the mobile asset system, for example, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 6, the mobile asset knows when eachchecklist question is being asked, and may be able to intelligentlydetermine, depending, for example, upon the nature of the question andthe sensing capability of the mobile asset 12, whether the operatoractually performed the test, and may even be able to determine whetherthe answer reported by the operator is likely to be the correct answer.

In yet another illustrative and exemplary implementation, the processorprovided within the interface controller 50 or otherwise integrated intothe materials handling vehicle knows when each checklist question isbeing asked, and the nature of that question. As such, an action takenat 184 may be to refuse to acknowledge the operator-entered answer ifthe mobile asset 12 determines that the operator had not performed thetest. For example, if the checklist item asks the operator to check thefork lifting capability of a mobile asset 12 such as a forklift truck,the system may refuse to acknowledge the operator-entered answer untilthe processor of the forklift truck senses that the forks have beenlifted according to the checklist item test conditions. Thus, thechecklist operation may utilize the operator response verification torefuse to advance to the next checklist item until the query responseindicates that the checklist item has been performed.

Checklist Override Sequence

Additionally, a predetermined logon sequence may be implemented wherethe asset operator is not required to step through the checklistprocedure. For example an override code may be established so that themobile asset 12 becomes fully operational and functional upon logononly. Under this arrangement, the mobile asset 12 may have a predefinedtimeout where it is only operational for a predetermined period of timeor, other appropriate terminating events may be triggered to limit thescope of the override. Additionally, vehicle functionality may belimited by the override, e.g., operation may be limited to steering andtraction control, etc. The override may be provided, for example, wherea time sensitive operation must be performed, such as moving the mobileasset 12.

Mobile Asset Monitoring

Each mobile asset 12 may record and timestamp key mobile asset relatedevents, measurements and other parameters, which may be communicatedfrom the corresponding mobile asset 12 to the mobile asset applicationserver 14. As an illustrative example, the interface controller 50 ofthe mobile asset information linking device 38 may collect and logmobile asset-related data, such as power meter values, login usage,travel/speed parameters, hydraulics usage, oil quality measurements,load sensing, air temperature measurements, oil temperature and/or otherkey asset component temperature measurements, etc. Troubleshootingdiagnostics, nuisance codes, location tracking information and otherinformation ascertained by or otherwise associated with each mobileasset 12 may also be collected and temporarily stored by the interfacecontroller 50. At an appropriate time when the transceiver 46 is in datacommunication with the mobile asset application server 14, the collectedinformation may be appropriately communicated to a suitable storagelocation, such as a data resource 16 that may be maintained by themobile asset application server 14.

The mobile asset application server 14 may use the collected data toperform any number of asset-related analyses. For example, the mobileasset application server 14 may monitor or otherwise analyze collecteddata from each mobile asset 12 to determine appropriate preventativemaintenance schedules. This may allow, for example, advanced maintenancepredictions to be implemented based on extreme, unusual duty cycles orother parameters. Further, collected data may be analyzed to revealoperation-related information. For example, by analyzing the number ofpallets moved, total lift operations performed, distance traveled byeach mobile asset 12, etc., changes may be implemented in workflow tomaximize operational efficiencies. Numerous other examples are describedin greater detail herein.

In some instances, wireless communication across the computingenvironment 10 may not be possible with a select mobile assets 12 due tothat select mobile asset 12 being out of transmission/reception rangewith at least one access point 20, due to environmental interference,etc. As such, each mobile asset 12 includes sufficient memory, such asmay be provided in the interface controller 50, to temporarily store thecollected information that is generated during use of the mobile asset12, and suitable provisions may made for the synchronization of theinformation collected by each mobile asset 12 and the correspondingmobile asset application server 14. Thus, the mobile asset communicationserver 14 does not require continuous communication with each mobileasset 12.

Impact Sensing

As noted above, depending upon the mobile asset 12, it may be desirableto implement customizable impact detection and appropriate post impactactions, such as lockout operations after the mobile asset stops. Forexample, with reference back to FIG. 6, the interface controller 50 maytrack minor impacts using appropriate impact sensors 60 and acorresponding monitoring input/output module 48.

Thus, if a predetermined event associated with the material handlingvehicle comprises detecting an impact on a materials handling vehicle,the processor, e.g., provided by the interface controller 50 orotherwise integrated into the materials handling vehicle may beconfigured to respond to the detected impact by classifying the severityof the detected impact and by wirelessly communicating impactinformation to the server computer if it is determined that the detectedimpact exceeds at least one predetermined impact condition. Theprocessor may also poll at least one vehicle component across thematerials handling vehicle network system 68 to determine the extent ofany damage that may have been caused by a detected impact that exceedspredetermined impact conditions. Moreover, information may becommunicated to the server computer regarding impact damage where theinformation is obtained across the materials handling vehicle networksystem 68 from vehicle components. The obtained impact information mayfurther be evaluated and an action may be performed at the materialshandling vehicle based upon the evaluated impact information.

In an illustrative example, the interface controller 50 may compute orotherwise analyze the “severity” of impacts, such as to distinguishbetween minor impacts and major impacts. One strategy may be to lock outthe mobile asset upon detecting a major impact and/or detecting apredetermined number of minor impacts.

Upon a detected impact that exceeds predetermined impact conditions, analarm, such as a buzzer, horn or light may be activated, via themonitoring input/output 48 until a supervisor clears the alarm. Amessage may also be communicated to the mobile asset application server14 so that an appropriate action may be taken. Further, as noted above,upon detecting an impact, the processor provided within the interfacecontroller 50 or otherwise integrated into the materials handlingvehicle may probe asset components via the CAN bus or other suitablemobile asset network system 68 to determine whether or not the vehicleis still operational. Under certain situations, the mobile asset may beshutdown, disabled or otherwise stopped. The mobile asset may also beable to distinguish a low threshold impact as noted above, in whichcase, the tracking of minor incidences may be simply logged/recordedwithout initiating an alarm. Still further, as noted above, the systemmay be configured to allow a predefined number of low threshold impactswithin a predefined set of parameters. For example, if an operatorwithin a single shift experiences a number of impacts having thresholdsthat exceed the low impact threshold, and that number of impacts exceedsa predetermined number of low impacts deemed acceptable, suitableresponsive actions may be implemented.

Where a mobile asset 12 has suitable processing capabilities, such as inthe interface controller 50, shock sensing may be intelligent such thatthe system learns what is normal and what is not normal for givenapplications or intended uses, e.g., to modify predetermined impactconditions used to evaluate detected impacts. For example, a forklifttruck on a loading dock that drives into and out of trailers to pick up,drop off or otherwise move loads may experience a different level ofordinary and expected shocks relative to a comparable forklift truckthat only operates on a level and relatively smooth concrete floor. Theshock sensing system may also be trained to recognize the distinctionbetween types of impacts such as via impact signatures. To distinguishimpacts, the interface controller 50 or other suitable mobile assetprocessor may establish a signature for the detected impact, which iscompared against sampled or otherwise determined impact data. Ahistogram can then be generated, or other processing tools can beutilized, so that the impact can be more accurately characterized. Suchinformation may be communicated back to the applications server 14,which can use the information to create customized impact thresholds,signatures and other impact related information. The applications server14 may also communicate impact threshold customization data tocorresponding materials handling vehicles via the associated informationlinking device 38 to custom program the materials handling vehicle asnoted more fully herein.

In an illustrative embodiment, an alarm is initiated on the mobile asset12 upon detecting a sufficient impact condition. To deactivate thealarm, an acknowledgment and clear signal must be presented to theinterface controller 50, for example by a manager or supervisor who mustinput the appropriate clear signal, such as by entering a suitableresponse using the controls 42 associated with the input/output controlmodule 45. The operator may then operate the mobile asset 12, assumingthat the mobile asset 12 is suitable for operation. In an alternativearrangement, the supervisor may be required to go back to the mobileasset application server 14 and clear the mobile asset 12 for continuedoperation, such as by clearing a lockout flag or other suitableinformation flag. Under this arrangement, the mobile asset applicationserver 14 communicates with the interface controller 50 of thecorresponding mobile asset via the asset's transceiver 46 to identifythat a lockout condition has been suitably cleared at the mobile assetapplication server 14. Once the lockout condition is clear, theinterface controller 50 re-enables the mobile asset for operation, suchas via the vehicle power enable conditioning module 52. The supervisormay also annotate impact information, e.g., record metadata into aserver database (from either the truck or the server) concerning theimpact, such as by adding comments that describe the nature of theimpact and/or other facts that may be relevant to the incident.

Proper Exit Detection

The mobile asset information linking device 38 and corresponding mobileasset application server 14 may further be used to track asset operatoractions, which can be utilized to gain an insight into operatortechniques and habits. For example if an operator exits a correspondingmobile asset 12 to which that operator is logged in, without performinga proper asset exit, such data can be recorded. As an example in aforklift truck, if the operator exits a parked truck without setting aparking brake, the forklift truck may automatically set the parkingbrake, such as by issuing appropriate commands implemented across theCAN bus or other mobile asset network system 68. Numerous otherautomated actions may also/alternatively be implemented. Further, theinterface controller 50 can log the event and communicate suchinformation to the corresponding mobile asset application server 14,which can generate reports, etc., indicating such improper exit.

Numerous techniques may be used to detect operator exit. For example,the system can monitor traction, hydraulics and other mobile assetparameters and determine periods of inactivity. Additionally, sensorsmay be provided on the seat and/or other appropriate locations on themobile asset that may be used to determine whether or not the operatoris still on the mobile asset.

On-line Reference Materials and Other Data

With reference to FIG. 11, a mobile asset, illustrated as forklift truck12B may further exploit the capabilities of its information linkingdevice 38 to provide on-line manuals and other reference materials to auser of the mobile asset interface. These reference materials may berelated to the forklift truck 12B, such as a materials handling vehicleoperator manual, the manual to an accessory or peripheral component, apolicy or guidelines followed at the site or any other suitablereference materials that may be of interest to the operator while at theasset interface.

In this regard, it may be inconvenient to store such materials in thememory of the mobile asset in the memory of the wireless communicationsinterface controller 50 or other appropriate module. Thus, the mobileasset application server 14 may access the appropriate referencematerials 190 from its database 16 and provide the requested materialsto the user via the corresponding information linking device 38. Theuser at the asset interface e.g., a display and/or input output controlsat the forklift truck 12B may not need the entirety of the reference, orthe memory at the mobile asset may be insufficient to store the totalityof a given reference. As such, the mobile asset application server 14may communicate only a relevant portion 190A of a given reference 190 toa corresponding mobile asset user.

The mobile asset application server 14 may also control distribution ofreference materials by utilizing the operator logon identification orother security measures to verify that the asset user is authorized toreview the requested reference material. Such control may be used toprevent the distribution of sensitive business information to which themobile asset applications server 14 may have access. As an example, anasset operator may be able to access training manuals, company policies,regulations, etc., but not productivity reports or other types ofmanagerial information. However, a supervisor may log into the mobileasset application server 14 from a mobile asset interface and obtainsuch information.

As yet another example, the forklift truck 12B may be in need ofservicing. The manufacturer may thus send a manufacturer repairrepresentative to service the forklift truck 12. The manufacturer repairrepresentative, while at the asset interface, may log onto the mobileasset application server 14 and request reference materials 190.Further, the manufacturer repair representative may require proprietaryinformation, such as may be found in technical references andproprietary manufacturer documents. Under this arrangement, afterpresenting the appropriate identification or otherwise followingappropriate security measures, the mobile asset application server 14initiates a request across the network 32 to the manufacturers server 30to obtain the required reference materials 190A from the manufacturer'sdatabase(s) 34. The sensitive or proprietary information may then beconveyed to the interface of the forklift truck.

In this regard, and in general, the various aspects of the presentinvention may implement any appropriate data encoding/decoding,encryption/decryption, secure transactions and other measures wherewarranted, e.g., by the nature of the data being communicated.

According to various aspects of the present invention, the system mayfurther ensure that the most relevant and/or up-to-date referenceinformation is provided to the user at the asset interface. For example,operation of a feature may be dependent upon a software version and/orwhether a particular accessory or peripheral is also included on theforklift truck 12B. The mobile asset application server 14 may storethis appropriate information, or the forklift truck 12B may provide suchrelevant information to the mobile asset application server 14 whenrequesting the appropriate reference material.

For example, assume that a repair representative is repairing a controlhandle of the forklift truck 12B. The interface controller 50 mayrecognize a request for reference material pertaining to the controlhandle and can communicate with other forklift truck system componentsacross the CAN bus or other suitable vehicle network system 68 toidentify software version numbers and/or other relevant features of thecontrol handle, which are communicated to the mobile asset applicationserver 14 to ensure that the correct reference material is provided.

Interactive Training

The mobile asset 12 can also leverage the capabilities of the mobileasset application server 14 and a corresponding mobile asset informationlinking device 38 installed on or otherwise integrated with a mobileasset 12 to provide adaptive or interactive operator training In thisregard, the mobile asset 12 can monitor and log the manner in which anoperator uses its controls and features, and when appropriate, suggestnew and/or appropriate ways to perform certain tasks.

The mobile asset 12 can also detect when an operator is attempting toperform an illegal or an impermissible operation, such as attempting touse two conflicting features simultaneously, attempting to operate aload handling feature when the seat is in an inappropriate position,attempting an operation with a select feature while traveling at a wrongspeed range, etc. Under this arrangement, the error can be pointed out,and possible solutions or alternatives may be provided, for example, viathe display 41, 50, or otherwise. In this regard, the mobile assetinformation linking device 38 may be used to log the activity of theoperator, to send the activity information to the mobile assetapplication server 14, to request training materials such as referencemanuals, etc., from the mobile asset application server 14 as thespecific circumstances require.

The mobile asset 12 may also provide a visual and/or audible indicationthat tells the operator when the asset is being used inappropriately,for example, by flashing a light, sounding a horn or buzzer, etc. As analternative, a visual and/or audible signal may be provided to indicatethat the mobile asset 12 is being used in an appropriate (or in anoptimized) manner.

Driver Coaching, Training and Education

The asset display may provide a “tip of the day” or “did you know” styleof messaging at appropriate times to promote training and interactionwith the operator. For example, if the mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 recognizes that an operator utilizes a specific sequence ofcommands or controls to implement certain functions, such as bycommunicating with vehicle system components across a CAN bus or othersuitable mobile asset network system 68, the system may suggestadditional operational efficiencies or alternative ways of performing agiven task. Also, if an operator seldom or never uses specific mobileasset features or functions, the system may suggest those features orfunctions to the operator. In order to provide suggestions, the mobileasset information linking device 38 may consult locally storedinformation, or relevant information can be exchanged with the mobileasset application server 14 to obtain appropriate training information.Thus, the user is dynamically trained while at the interface point ofthe mobile asset 12.

Additionally, off-line training can be implemented. For example, themobile asset information linking device 38 can present the assetoperator with a series of instructions for mobile asset operation, suchas during periods of inactivity. Further, the mobile asset informationlinking device 38 may be able to interact with the mobile asset todemonstrate an implementation of instructions.

For example, based upon logged use of vehicle features by the operator,the system may implement training of a particular vehicle feature. Basedupon interaction between the processor provided within the interfacecontroller 50 or otherwise integrated into the materials handlingvehicle and at least one component across a materials handling vehiclenetwork system 68, the vehicle may automatically demonstrate the featurebeing trained on, to the operator as the operator is in a work operativeposition within the vehicle. The system may also test the operator withregard to a feature being taught by monitoring communications across thematerials handling vehicle network system 68 to log operator userelevant to the feature being taught. As such, the system may ensurethat the operator is performing the function properly by checking thatthe component is responding appropriately relative to the feature beingtaught.

Thus, by integrating training materials provided by the mobile assetapplication server 14, the mobile asset information linking device 38can interact with asset system components via the CAN bus or otherappropriate mobile asset network system 68 to control asset features toimplement the demonstrations. The asset operator may then be presentedwith an opportunity to test the skills just taught by implementing thecontrol sequence corresponding to the provided series of instructions.The mobile asset information linking device 38 can monitor the actionsimplemented by the asset operator and suggest corrections and otheractions so the operator successfully master skills related to the mobileasset operation by providing training instructions, which may besupplemented by appropriate links to a corresponding operator and/ortraining manual that can be displayed on the mobile asset display.

Customized Work Environment

According to various aspects of the present invention, a customizedmobile asset work environment may also be realized. In this regard, theprocessor provided within the interface controller 50 or otherwiseintegrated into the materials handling vehicle may implement at leastone customization function on the materials handling vehicle based uponthe received logon information, such as by wirelessly communicatinginformation between the application server 14 and the materials handlingvehicle via the transceiver 46 and interacting with at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle across the materialshandling vehicle network system 68. For example, at least one feature ofthe materials handling vehicle may be reconfigured according to theretrieved customization parameters. A customization function maycomprise a customizing operation of a component of the materialshandling vehicle according to any number and/or type of operator-definedpreferences.

For example, an operator can set the seat position, program features orother suitable capabilities, and these “settings” may be saved andassociated with the operator log on identification, e.g., in a suitable“profile” that can be stored in the local memory of the interfacecontroller 50 and/or on the mobile asset application server 14.Accordingly, when the operator logs into the mobile asset (or similarmobile asset), the customized settings are automatically recalled andimplemented.

As another illustrative example, an operator may be able to configurethe display to show or hide certain layers of details. Accordingly, oneoperator may like a clean and sparse dashboard display, while anotheroperator may want to see more details in the display, or to seesuperfluous information, such as personal pictures, etc. New operatorsor trainees may also have training profiles where the system mayperiodically display the time it takes the operators to perform certaintasks, instructions, reminders, etc. The system may also providestatistics and/or other feedback on operator efficiency and/orimprovements so that new operators can actively monitor whether theyunderstand their assigned tasks, the usage of the mobile asset 12 and toconfirm that they are developing their skill at an appropriate targetrate.

As yet another example, operator messages may be programmed in a numberof languages. For instance, the information linking device 38 may beable to wirelessly download operator messages in any number of languageformats. The downloaded operator messages can then be reprogrammed intoflash memory, etc. As such, as new menus, features, operator messagesand/or languages become available over time, such new features can beautomatically integrated into the information linking device 38. As anexample, an operator's profile can be used to select an appropriatelanguage for the display of commands, operator messages, etc.Alternatively, the operator may be prompted to select a desired languageformat, such as at a login or during an initialization process.

Thus for example, the language of the display can be reconfigured, theseat height, seat angle, seat position, control macros, performancecharacteristics and other mobile asset-related parameters can beautomatically configured upon a single login. Moreover, personalizedgreetings, relevant messages and other information of a personalizednature, such as a personalized display, may be presented to the operatorbased upon a known login identification and corresponding profile.

According to aspects of the present invention, the system may obtaincustomized settings selected by an operator for at least one of aspecific materials handling vehicle or for a specific type of materialshandling vehicle, e.g., where the location has a fleet of materialshandling vehicles. The customized settings are stored at theapplications server 14 such that when the operator logs onto a materialshandling vehicle for which preferences have been saved, at least one ofthe specific materials handling vehicle or the materials handlingvehicle type that the operator is logged into is identified and theoperator's preferences are obtained for the associated materialshandling vehicle. Moreover, as noted above, communications across thematerials handling vehicle network bus may be performed to configure thematerials handling vehicle for operation according to the operator'spreferences received from the applications server 14.

Repetitive Task Automation/Assistance

The mobile asset 12 may leverage its sensing and wireless communicationscapabilities to assist the operator in repetitive tasks. For example,the mobile asset information linking device 38 may assist the operatorin completing a pre-use checklist by automatically driving the checklistquestioning and recording/wirelessly transmitting the checklistresponses.

As another illustrative example, a “macro learn” function can beimplemented. In this arrangement, an asset operator may learn a trickassociated with the mobile asset 12, such as a maneuver, controlsequence, etc., and save that trick as a macro. This macro can then beshared via the mobile asset application server 14 with other mobileassets/asset operators, and may be archived to the mobile assetapplication server 14 for storage and for retaining a backup copy. Eachtime the operator initiates a stored macro, the processor providedwithin the interface controller 50 or otherwise integrated into themobile asset interacts with the mobile asset system electronics, and/orthe mobile asset application server 14 to execute the steps recorded aspart of the macro event. This enables a wide range of technique transferand promotes the exchange of knowledge.

Environmental Timers

In certain environments, restrictions on asset operators may be imposed,such as how long an operator may be in an extreme environment. Themobile asset information linking device 38 may detect such circumstancesand then begin a timer so that the operator does not have to manuallykeep track of such time. The mobile asset may either demonstratecompliance by affecting remedial action, such as exiting theenvironment, or provide an indication to the operator that the time hasexpired, such as by sounding a horn, alarm or providing anotherindicator, such as via the monitoring input/output 48 and anappropriately controlled output device. Moreover, reports may begenerated using the data gathered and stored by the mobile assetapplication server 14 corresponding to environmental timer event datacollected by a corresponding mobile asset information linking device 38,which was subsequently communicated to the mobile asset applicationserver 14.

Performance Tuning

The integration of mobile asset information linking device componentsinto the control system of a corresponding mobile asset 12 may be usedto implement “performance tuning” of the mobile asset 12. A performancerating may be received from the applications server 14 for the operatorlogged onto the corresponding materials handling vehicle. In responsethereto, instructions are communicated from the processor providedwithin the interface controller 50 or otherwise integrated into thematerials handling vehicle to at least one vehicle component across thematerials handling vehicle network bus to selectively limit, disable orconfigure the performance of at least one feature based upon theperformance rating associated with that operator.

As an example, assume that the mobile asset 12 comprises a materialshandling vehicle. As noted above, the mobile asset application server 14stores a list of authorized operators, which may also include alicense/certification management aspect that makes sure that eachoperator who is otherwise authorized to operate the mobile assetmaintains a valid and up to date operator's license. According to thisaspect of the present invention, performance data is also associatedwith each authorized user.

Referring to FIG. 12, in an exemplary implementation, “performancetuning” may be utilized as a way to rank authorized andlicensed/certified operators according to experience and skill, and toadjust the operating characteristics of the mobile asset 12 accordingly.For example, operator performance ratings such as P1, P2 and P3 can beused to differentiate authorized operators, where P3 may correspond to abeginner, P2 may correspond to an intermediate skilled operator and P1may correspond to an advanced skilled operator.

As an authorized operator's performance rating is improved, the mobileasset may unlock or otherwise enable advanced features, modify featuresand mobile asset capabilities and/or otherwise adjust one or moreoperating characteristics to match the capability of the operator.Correspondingly, the mobile asset 12 may disable advanced features,limit capabilities, alter performance capabilities, etc., for relativelylower ranked/skilled operators. For example, an experienced P1 operatormay be able to drive a mobile asset 12 at higher rates of speed, performcertain functions simultaneously, etc., relative to a correspondingnovice P3 operator. Any other number of ranking systems may be providedto implement such performance tuning.

Operator rating may be based upon a number of factors, including forexample the currently held operator licenses, certifications, number ofyears of experience, etc. Further, operator rating may be based uponactual monitored measures of operator capabilities. As noted above, themobile asset information linking device 38 may be capable of monitoringand logging aspects of mobile asset operation, and to wirelesslytransmit that information to the network, for example, to the mobileasset application server 14. As such, the metrics used to evaluate anddetermine operator skill may be based upon actual event and other datacollected by a corresponding mobile asset information linking device 38.For example, if an operator trips the impact sensors 60 a predeterminednumber of times, or when traveling at certain speeds, the correspondingperformance rating may be adjusted. This example was meant by way ofillustration and not by way of limitation of the many approaches tointegrate actual operator performance/usage/capability information intoa determination of performance ranking

Geofencing and Position Dependent Operation

The integration of mobile asset information linking device componentsinto the control system of a corresponding mobile asset 12 furtherallows for asset position dependent operation. An illustrative exampleof such position dependent operation is the implementation of“geofencing”, which may be used to create virtual “fences” thatrestrict, direct, guide or otherwise affect navigation of the mobileassets 12.

As an example, a device may be provided on a materials handling vehiclethat is utilized to determine a position of the materials handlingvehicle. The processor provided within the interface controller 50 orotherwise integrated into the materials handling vehicle is configuredto implement at least one function on the materials handling vehicle bywirelessly communicating obtained position related information betweenthe applications server 14 and the materials handling vehicle via thetransceiver 46 such that the position of the materials handling vehicleis determined. Moreover, the processor interacts with at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle to perform a predeterminedaction in response to receiving a command from the applications server14 based upon the determined position of the materials handling vehicle.The action may comprise, for example, at least one of an avoidancemaneuver or a speed reduction in response to the materials handlingvehicle. Moreover, the action may be dynamically selected based upon atleast one current operating condition of the materials handling vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 13, a geofence capability is illustrated. Assume thata forklift truck 12D is traveling down a lane 202. At some previouspoint in time, a geofence 204 is set up by the mobile asset applicationserver 14 to quarantine an area of the lane 202. The mobile assetapplication server 14 communicates information concerning the geofence204 to the corresponding mobile asset information linking device 38 onthe forklift truck 12D. The interface controller 50 may thus interactwith other forklift systems across a CAN bus or other suitable mobileasset network system 68 such that the forklift truck 12D eitherautomatically implements an evasive maneuver, manually instructs theoperator to take an evasive maneuver or takes other appropriate actionto avoid the area of the geofence 204.

For example, the forklift truck 12D may include a position determiningdevice or other capability 206 so as to be able to determine the mobileasset position relative to the geofence 204. The position informationmay be communicated to the mobile asset application server 14, dependingupon the particular implementation, such as to implement forklifttracking, to trigger the communication of geofence information and/orfor other suitable applications. Thus, in furthering this example,workers may be in the vicinity of the geofence 204. As such, theapplication server 14 may identify the presence of the workers and maycommunicate such information to forklift truck 12D includinginstructions to slow down while proximate to the geofence 204 etc.

As another illustrative example, assume that moisture is identified onthe floor of a site, or that a spill, debris or undesirable materialsare located in a path of travel of mobile assets. Appropriateinformation regarding the positioning of the spill is communicated tothe mobile asset application server 14, which creates a geofence 204around that designated area. This geofence 204 is communicated from themobile asset application server 14 to one or more of the mobile assets12, e.g., via the mobile asset information linking device 38 on eachmobile asset 12. Under this arrangement, as a forklift truck 12Dadvances towards, or otherwise approaches the area surrounded by thegeofence 204, the forklift truck 12D may warn the operator by sounding ahorn. Moreover, the forklift truck 12D may implement an evasive maneuveror otherwise perform a remediation action, such as by automaticallysteering around the area and/or avoiding the area that has beengeofenced, or by reducing the speed of the forklift truck 12D, orperforming other appropriate actions.

Moreover the particular corrective action may be intelligently selected,based upon the operating characteristics of the forklift truck 12D. Forexample, an appropriate response to a geofence 204 such as a wet floormay be based upon the speed of the forklift truck 12D, the load carriedby the forklift truck 12D, whether the forklift truck 12D is travelingforwards or backwards, the skill (performance rating) of the operator,etc. Thus for example, a slow traveling forklift with no load may reactdifferently than a forklift carrying a significant load on its forks. Inother exemplary conditions, strict adherence to avoiding the geofence204 may be implemented, as will be described in another example below.

Additionally, certain workflows may be automatically implemented. Forexample, if a spill or other undesired environmental condition isdetected by an asset operator, or where the mobile asset applicationserver 14 otherwise creates a geofence 204, an e-mail message or otherworkflow process may be initiated to the appropriate personnel such asthe maintenance department to perform cleanup operations. Aftercorrecting the condition that triggered the creation of the geofence204, the mobile asset application server 14 can “take down” the geofence204, such as by sending an appropriate message to the relevant mobileassets 12 at an appropriate time.

A geofence 204 may also be used to limit or prohibit a mobile asset 12from a specific area. For example in a bonded warehouse, if an operatoris not appropriately authorized to drive into a certain region, ageofence 204 may be created to prevent the corresponding mobile asset 12from traveling into the unauthorized regions. In this example, the typeof mobile asset and/or the identification of the particular operator maybe utilized as factors to consider whether the geofence 204 affects theparticular mobile asset or not. Similarly, geofences 204 may be locatedin areas where asset operation should be avoided. For example, a firstgeofence 204 may prohibit reach trucks from entering a loading dockarea, but allow certain forklift trucks to travel to and from theloading docks unhindered. However, a second geofence 204 may bepositioned on the edges of a loading dock or on an area that has anunsuitable surface to prohibit the forklift trucks from entering suchareas. Again, factors such as the load carried by the mobile asset, thespeed of the mobile asset, asset type, operator ID, etc., may be used indetermining the manner in which geofencing is implemented with respectto a particular mobile asset 12.

The effectiveness of position dependent asset operation, for example,the creation of geofences 204, may be contingent upon the accuracy ofasset positioning in the network system. In a first example, a mobileasset 12 need not be equipped with a separate position determiningdevice 206 per se. Rather, a particular site may have a plurality ofwireless access points 20. Under this arrangement, the mobile assetapplication server 14 may be able to determine which particular wirelessaccess point 20 it is communicating with, e.g., by recognizing a macaddress or other unique identifier of each access point 20. Further, themobile asset application server 14 may know the location of each accesspoint 20. Thus, triangulation techniques may be used to identify assetposition based upon a measure of the relative signal strength of asignal transmitted by a select mobile asset 12 received at the variousaccess points 20. Alternatively, other positioning technologies may beutilized. For example, the position determining device may beimplemented as a global positioning system (GPS). For example, a GPSsystem may be implemented as one of the optionalcontrollers/modules/devices 80 described with reference to FIG. 6.

Still further, unique tags, e.g., TAG A, TAG B and TAG C as shown inFIG. 13, may be distributed about a work area. Under this arrangement,the position determining device 206 may comprise a suitable tag reader.By knowing the most recent tag that was sensed/read, and by knowing thelocations of the tags, a positioning system can infer the mobile assetposition. Thus, in the above example, the geofence 204 may be associatedwith a position corresponding to TAG C and an evasive maneuver can beimplemented by detecting that the forklift 12D is somewhere between TAGB and TAG C.

As an example, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags may be used todetect position. In this arrangement, RFID tags may be strategicallylocated about the corresponding site, where each tag is associated witha known position. A suitable RFID detector implemented as the positiondetermining device 206, e.g., one of the optionalcontrollers/modules/devices 80 described with reference to FIG. 6, maybe used to read each encountered RFID tag. The position information fromreading tags may be determined locally at the asset by the interfacecontroller 50, or tag data may be communicated to the mobile assetapplication server 14 for position determination. The accuracy of such asystem can be adjusted by varying the number of tags and the spacingbetween tags at the site. Still further, perimeter sensors and othersimilar technologies may by utilized in conjunction with a suitableasset mounted reader to ascertain position information. Any number ofother arrangements may alternatively be used, so long as asset positionis determined to within the range of tolerance dictated by the specificapplication.

According to various aspects of the present invention, informationrelated to vehicle position may be maintained over a predeterminedwindow of time and data may be logged during vehicle operation over thewindow of time by obtaining information from at least one vehiclecomponent across the materials handling vehicle network bus. Upondetecting a triggering event, an event report may be wirelesslycommunicated to the applications server 14 to preserve the informationrecorded over the window, such as to capture position information over aperiod may include at least one of just before the event, just after theevent, or both before and after the event.

Feature Updates/Upgrades

According to further aspects of the present invention, a predeterminedevent may be detected that is associated with a request for a softwareversion change of at least one mobile asset component, such as amaterials handling vehicle component that is coupled to a correspondingvehicle network bus. Thus, a software version change may be implementedby wirelessly receiving a software change from the applications server14 that is directed to a selected vehicle component connected to thematerials handling vehicle network bus and reprogramming the selectedvehicle component based upon the received software version bycommunicating with the materials handling vehicle component across thenetwork bus.

Thus, for example, in implementations where the wireless informationlinking device 38 is coupled to the CAN bus or other suitable vehiclenetwork system 68, advanced features can be implemented. The transceiver46 can serve as a gateway to the corresponding mobile asset 12 so thatany software upgradeable/reprogrammable component of the asset canwirelessly receive software modifications and other reprogramminginstructions. For example, updates to a vehicle control program or othersoftware controlled mobile asset feature can be wirelessly transmittedto the asset via the mobile asset information linking device 38. Theprocessor provided within the interface controller 50 or otherwiseintegrated into the mobile asset may then interact with the appropriatesystem components via the CAN bus or other suitable network system 68 toimplement the software update, e.g., an upgrade, revision, patch orother modification. If the asset is in operation at the time ofreceiving the software, the associated reprogramming instructions may betemporarily stored, for example, by the interface controller 50, until atime that is appropriate for the reprogramming activity.

Referring to FIG. 14, a software update 212 may be transmitted to amobile asset 12 from the mobile asset application server 14, which mayload the software update 212 onto the network from a portable computermedia. Alternatively, the software update 212 may originate from aremote server 30, e.g., a manufacturer may communicate the softwareupgrade to the mobile asset application server 14 across the network 32.

Additionally, certain features of a mobile asset 112, e.g., a materialshandling vehicle, may be controlled, configured or otherwise communicatewith the processing devices associated with the corresponding enterprise26 or inter-enterprise remote server 30. This may enable, for example, amanufacturer of a component, peripheral, etc., to configure, reboot,adjust, modify or otherwise control or interact in real time (or nearreal time) with the associated component, peripheral, or other aspect ofa corresponding mobile asset 12 across the wireless network via acorresponding mobile asset information linking device 38.

Software Upgradeable Mobile Asset Information Linking Device

Referring to FIG. 15, as noted in greater detail herein, the wirelesscommunications interface controller 50 includes a processor 213 incommunication with memory 214. The memory 214 may include a boot sector215 for flash reprogramming of functions and capabilities associatedwith the mobile asset information linking device 38 and for rebootability. The memory 214 of the interface controller 50 may also includea separate application area 216 that also has a boot area 217.

According to aspects of the present invention, when performing flashprogramming, the application area 216 may be erased. Under thisarrangement, the boot sector 215 is used to update the programming inthe application area 216 with a software update 212. The software in theapplications area 216 may further be used to erase the boot sector 215so as to replace the boot with updated information, such as an updatedboot loader. For example, the software update 212 may include a bootarea 217 in its code so that the system can replace the code in the bootsector 215 with a new boot loader provided in the new boot code 217 thatis included with a corresponding software update 212. As such, upgradesand capabilities are not limited to the particular implementation of theboot area of the interface controller 50 at any given time.

Intelligent Diagnostic Checklist

If a mobile asset 12 experiences an error during a work shift or otherdesignated working period, an operator may utilize the mobile assetinformation linking device 38 to invoke an inspection checklist that maybe able to identify the cause of the failure. In this regard, the mobileasset information linking device 38 can serve as an interface andinteract with both mobile asset components via the CAN bus or otherappropriate mobile asset network system 68, and with enterprise serversas well as third party servers, such as manufacturer servers across oneor more network connections. As such, intelligent checklist diagnosticsas well as event driven diagnostics can be implemented based uponinformation derived locally at the asset as well as based uponinformation communicated across the wireless network.

Task Integration

The wireless communication capabilities of the various aspects of thepresent invention may further allow fleet management to tie into taskrelated activities, such as by integrating into Warehouse ManagementSoftware (WMS). In this regard, the wireless system may serve as aconduit between the WMS application and the operator so as to facilitatedirected picking, providing routes to drivers, providing instructionsfor exception handling, such as where a SKU is not at an anticipatedlocation or perform functions such as directing the operator in otherWMS related regards. Moreover, the mobile asset application server 14can blend mobile asset related data into the WMS data for integration ofproduct and asset monitoring. Integration may be further enhancedthrough integration of the application server 14 with other enterpriseapplications.

As an example, if a WMS system informs an asset operator where to pickup and place a load of items, the information linking device 38 andcorresponding input devices such as a tag reader etc., can be used torecord and/or verify the locations of where the operator picked up andplaced the load. Appropriate data can be sent to the WMS system, e.g.,via the mobile asset application server 14 to ensure that tasks arebeing performed in accordance with the WMS directives. Further, theinformation linking device 38 may be able to understand the WMSinstructions to the asset operator. Accordingly, the information linkingdevice 38 may be able to provide feedback to the asset operator toindicate that the proper loads are being handled and that load movementsand other activities are being performed correctly. Also, any number ofappropriate workflows may be triggered based upon the usage data loggedby the information linking device 38.

Paging

The mobile asset information linking device 38 may further be used toreceive targeted messages to specific mobile assets 12. For example, themobile asset application server 14 may be used to forward or otherwiseoriginate pages, instant messages or other communications to specificmobile assets and/or asset operators. The mobile asset applicationserver 14 identifies how to appropriately relay the message to theintended recipient, for example, by asset operator, assetidentification, etc. The received message may be displayed on thedisplay 41, 50, played back over a speaker, etc. The mobile assetapplication server 14 may also receive responses and relay thoseresponses to the appropriate message sender. Moreover, messages may bebroadcast to groups of asset operators and/or assets, and the mobileasset application server 14 can track the status of transmittedmessages.

As an example, when an operator logs into an asset, the wirelesscommunications interface controller 50 may transmit the operator ID andrelevant tracking information, such as a corresponding assetidentification to the mobile asset application server 14. By knowing theoperator ID and corresponding asset ID, instant messaging systems can bemanipulated. Also, the mobile asset application server 14 can be used toimplement and/or integrate with a presence and awareness system in amobile asset environment. That is, as the operator moves around a mobileenvironment, the mobile asset application server 14 can be used to trackthat operator.

Thus, as an example, position information may be received for aplurality of materials handling vehicles at the applications server 14.The applications server 14 can select one of the materials handlingvehicles whose position is closest to a designated location based uponthe received position information and wirelessly communicate a pagemessage to the selected one of the materials handling vehicles, such asto issue a task related request or otherwise convey information.

Work Area Sensing

Referring to FIG. 16, in another exemplary implementation, tags may beprovided to asset operators and to other workers that may be in theworking environment. Using a suitable tag reader 220 incorporated intothe mobile asset 12E, or in data collected by fixed position tag readers220, the mobile asset application server 14 can track not only mobileassets and asset operators, but others in proximity to the mobileassets. Thus, data may be mined that is directed towards understandingthe relationships between mobile assets and other workers. By knowingthe location of persons and the location of mobile assets, a siteoperator may be able to associate labor costs to site areas and productswithin the facility. This enables the asset manufacturer to provideservices such as optimization counseling.

Further, by knowing the locations of persons in proximity to the mobileassets 12, such as by equipping such persons with suitable tags and byproviding fixed location readers and/or equipping mobile assets 12 withcorresponding readers, the mobile asset application server 14 and/ormobile assets 12 may implement appropriate actions and make intelligentdecisions. For example, the operator of a forklift truck may be a highlyskilled driver but may be working in a crowded work environment. Thus,one or more controls or operational parameters, e.g., top speed of theforklift truck may be adjusted to accommodate the environment and itssurrounding. In this regard, sensors such as ground sensors, surfacechange sensors, ultrasonic sensors and other technologies may be used inaddition to or in lieu of tags to implement work environment controland/or parameter adjustments of a mobile asset 12.

The tags, such as RFID tags, may be integrated into protective or othergear worn by asset operators and other workers in the work vicinity.This may further enable automated or semi-automated login to the mobileasset prior to operation of the mobile asset 12.

Tags such as those utilizing RFID technologies may also be integratedinto mobile asset components and accessories. For example, if anoperator is required to wear a harness, a tag can be incorporated intothat harness. Accordingly, the tag is read to make sure that theoperator is appropriately clipped in, etc. For example, if the operatoris not clipped in to an appropriate harness, the control of the mobileasset 12 may be disabled or performance may be altered in a way thatprovides an appropriate work environment for the user. Additionally,warnings, such as signals and other information can be conveyed to theoperator as well as the mobile asset application server 14 for loggingthe event. For example, if a user has a cage located on the forks of aforklift truck, but the cage is not properly attached and the operatortries to lift the forks, the mobile asset can detect, via the tag orother appropriate sensing technology, that the cage is not appropriatelyattached and installed and take other appropriate action. As such, themaximum allowable height of the forks may be limited and/or fork liftingoperations may be disabled. Further, a message may be sent back to themobile asset application server 14 indicating that the operator hasattempted to implement the activity.

Moreover, tags can be installed throughout an area traveled by themobile assets 12, such as on racks at the ends of aisles in a warehouseenvironment. As a mobile asset 12 is traveling down an aisle, an assettag reader can read the tags. Thus, for example, based upon arecognition that a corresponding tag is at the end of an aisle, theasset may utilize this information to implement automatic speedadjustment, etc.

Moreover, the tag reader in the mobile asset 12 can inform the mobileasset application server 14 as to its location. The mobile assetapplication server 14 can thus track the location of each of the mobileassets 12. By knowing the location of each mobile asset 12, the mobileasset application server 14 can send messages to redirect select mobileassets 12 based upon the known locations of other mobile assets 12, suchas for workflow management. As an example, a “hot spot” may beidentified by detecting a number of mobile assets 12 in a small area ofa facility. This may trigger a workflow that reassigns tasks to one ormore of the mobile assets 12, such as by a WMS system, so that eachmobile asset 12 can perform more efficiently.

Weight Sensing

A mobile asset 12 such as a materials handling vehicle, may be able tosense the weight of the operator. For example, certain mobile assets,such as forklift trucks, can measure the back-pressure in the hydraulicsystem, e.g., using a suitable transducer. The mobile asset applicationserver 14 may use this information to make intelligent decisions. As anexample, the sensed weight on the forklift truck may be used to validatethat the operator logging onto the system is the true personcorresponding to the identity of the user logon, such as by comparingthe measured weight to a previously stored weight. While not conclusory,a weight sensing scheme may provide a general check against the enteredoperator ID.

Environment Integration

Additionally, smart fixtures may be integrated into the work environmentand brought into communication with a mobile asset information linkingdevice 38, via the mobile asset application server 14. For example, as amobile asset 12 approaches a dark corner of a warehouse, the mobileasset application server 14, which is tracking the location of themobile asset 12, may send messages to other intelligent devices withinthe facility to assist the asset operator, such as by instructingintelligent light fixtures to automatically turn on while items arebeing picked. Similarly, the mobile asset application server 14 caninstruct the intelligent light fixtures to turn off after the mobileasset drives out of the area.

Mobile Asset Accessories

A mobile asset information linking device 38 may also be integrated withdigital cameras, weight detection and other asset mounted accessories.As an example, in a warehouse operation, during an unloading operation,as forklift mobile assets are driving in and out of a semi-tractor orother suitable location, sensors related to the operation of the forkscan verify the weight of the pallets on the forks. The weights can betransmitted to the mobile asset application server 14, which can compareeach received weight measurement against an expected or anticipatedrange of weight for the pallet.

Further, cameras may be utilized to take pictures of the condition ofthe merchandise before it is received into and/or leaves the warehousefor purposes of quality control and to document damaged merchandise forreturns. The image data may be automatically transmitted to anappropriate server of the computer system via the correspondinginformation linking device 38. Thus, confirmation, inspection and othersimilar features can be integrated with receiving departments, shippingdepartments or other suitable operations. Thus, collected information,digital images and other relevant data may also be wirelesslytransmitted to the mobile asset application server 14.

An Intra-Enterprise User at the Asset Interface

The asset interface may also be used by an intra enterprise worker whois not an asset operator, such as a manager or supervisor, etc. As notedin an example provided above, if an operator is involved in a collisionor other activity that triggers impact detectors, a manager may berequired to clear or otherwise re-enable the asset for operation. Assuch, the wireless communication interface controller 50 may recognize auser identification code as that of a supervisor, and enable access tocertain features, parameters, menu items, etc., as the specific taskrequires, which are otherwise hidden from the asset operator. Thesupervisor may also use the asset interface to perform tasks such aschecking operator statistics or for performing other tasks. Therefore,the screens and information that are of importance to a non-operatorauthorized user, such as a floor manager, may be tailored to help thatperson to complete their jobs so that the asset operator can get loggedback in and back to work relatively quickly.

A Third Party Authorized User at the Asset Interface

A third party, such as a maintenance, service or repair technician maybe required to perform service repairs, planned maintenance, diagnosticsand other activities associated with a mobile asset 12, thus requiringinteraction at the asset interface. Under this arrangement, the wirelesscommunications interface controller 50 may interact with the display 46,52, the mobile asset application server 14 and/or remote server 30 toprovide appropriate information to the third party user. Again, theinformation available to a third party user at the asset interface islikely different than the information required by an asset operator. Inthis regard, the information required by the third party user may bewirelessly transmitted to the corresponding mobile asset from a networkresource, e.g., the mobile asset application server 14.

Moreover, in some instances, the required information may not be ofgeneral knowledge to the enterprise. Rather, the required informationmay comprise, for example, proprietary information that is not publiclydisclosed. Where a system such as that described with reference to FIG.3 is implemented, the appropriate material may be securely transmittedto the particular mobile asset 12 from a trusted third party server 30.For example, a manufacturer of the mobile asset 12 may maintain a server30 that is communicably coupled to the enterprise 26 via the network 32,such as the Internet. A service representative performing repairs onbehalf of the asset manufacturer may be able to request the appropriaterepair information from the remote server 30 from the mobile assetinterface, e.g., in a manner analogous to that described with referenceto FIG. 10. The appropriate information is sent from the remote server30 to the mobile asset application server 14, where the information issecurely relayed to the appropriate mobile asset 12. Under thisarrangement, the remainder of the enterprise 26 may not have access tothe requested proprietary data.

The service technician may also be able to automatically order theappropriate required parts, even from resources outside the enterprise,by initiating a service or parts order with the remote server 30. Inaddition, the mobile asset application server 14 may also updateintra-enterprise maintenance records, adjust parts inventories, etc.,all from the mobile asset interface.

Miscellaneous

The wireless communications interface controller 50 may also interactwith the mobile asset application server 14 at appropriate times toprovide an asset operator with performance statistics. For example, anoperator may want to view performance metrics and other data that isrelated to the mobile asset or the operator's assigned tasks.

The Fixed Station Intra-Enterprise Interface

The enterprise may further implement one or more fixed stationintra-enterprise interfaces. Typically, these interfaces are utilized tointeract with the mobile asset application server 14 to derive back-endtypes of operations such as to configure the wireless communicationsystem and/or to configure mobile asset information linking devices 38for communication across the wireless network, to generate reports,statistics and other relevant usage information, etc. Accordingly, oneor more dashboard views may be provided for customized management of themobile assets, to summarize data that is of interest to the enterpriseoperator from a managerial, supervisory or other appropriate level.

Asset Maintenance Schedules

The mobile asset application server 14 may accumulate asset usageinformation, for example, from the collected mobile asset data asdescribed more fully herein, to automatically generate notifications ofanticipated maintenance, initiate workflow, such as by sendingmaintenance alerts and/or e-mails to designated personnel, pre-orderrepair parts, etc.

As an example, a preventative maintenance countdown timer may beinitiated on the mobile asset application server 14 for various featuresof each mobile asset 12, such as steering, lifting, traction, etc. Thisinformation can be tied back to the mobile asset 12, via a wirelesscommunication to the corresponding mobile asset information linkingdevice 38, which can implement an appropriate action, such as by turningon a light on a display that tells the operator or maintenance personthat scheduled maintenance is due. This can also trigger a workflowoperation that sends an e-mail to the maintenance department as well, sothat the planned asset maintenance can be appropriately implemented.

Moreover, the information linking device 38 may be utilized to implementa “lock-out” or “tag-out” operation to temporarily take thecorresponding vehicle out of operation until the planned maintenance,required servicing, etc. can be suitably implemented. As an example, theprocessor 50 may interact with the vehicle power enable/conditioning 52to implement a “lock-out” in response to wirelessly receiving a suitablemessage. Alternatively, the processor 50 may disable or limit specificfeatures of the vehicle, such as by communicating commands to theappropriate vehicle control modules over the vehicle network bus. Thus,the controller 50 may disable use of the vehicle forks, but enabletraction control so that the vehicle may be driven to a suitablelocation for the required maintenance.

For example, a planned maintenance application may call for a truck tobe serviced at a certain time. However, that time may coincide with atime when receiving lanes are full due to incoming inventory. As such,the system may look not only to intrinsic data collected from the mobileassets 12 via the mobile asset information linking device 38 on themobile assets, but also enterprise wide business flow data, trends andother usage patterns detected, mined, provided or otherwise madeavailable to the mobile asset application server 14.

Interacting with the mobile asset application server 14, maintenanceinformation may be programmed in a management control module of theserver software. For example, a schedule of maintenance tasks may beestablished based upon appropriate parameters, such as usage and/ortime. Thus, for each tracked mobile asset, each component may have aunique inspection interval so that brakes may be set to a firstpredetermined number of hours between scheduled maintenance andhydraulics may be set to a different number of hours between scheduledmaintenance, etc. Additionally preventative maintenance history listingsand other maintenance related reports may be generated.

This may be useful, for example, to determine the percentage ofutilization versus anticipated usage reports. Operator time spent onmachine versus time spent actually working may also be gauged. Thus,operator hours versus equipment hours can be measured. Using this andsimilar data, a site operator can analyze anticipated use and balancethe anticipated use with recorded actual usage. This allows adjustmentsto be made in the fleet management of enterprise assets.

Reporting

The mobile asset application server 14 may be preconfigured to providereports for management and analysis in areas such as equipment usage,operator licensing/certification, equipment checklist and preventativemaintenance. The mobile asset application server 14 may also facilitatea mobile asset dashboard, which may comprise, for example, a customizedinterface that allows managers to monitor key performance indicators(KPI), and to realize role-based, content sensitive visibility ofimportant business metrics in real time. Dashboard information can thusbe utilized for monitoring and analyzing events in support of takingactions to improve and optimize a corresponding business, e.g., bypresenting a “live” view of the current state of the monitored events,by querying KPIs and then rendering the KPI data values throughdashboard components such as gauges, tables and other visual metaphors,such as reports, charts, graphs, tree visual representations, etc.

Smaller enterprise operators may not have the time, expertise orcapabilities to analyze the data collected by the mobile assetapplication server 14. As such, these enterprise operators may chose toshare some or all of the collected data with a trusted third party, forexample, by transmitting the data to the remote server 30. In thisregard, a trusted third party may comprise the asset manufacturer whocan understand the data and provide fleet selection and managementadvice, maintenance advice, etc.

In general, exemplary information that may be useful to a supervisor maycomprise, for example, who's logged onto the mobile assets 12, how longare these operators actually using the mobile assets 12, how much workis being performed as a function of time of usage of the mobile assets12, where are the mobile assets 12 in the site, when are the mobileassets 12 due for maintenance, when can maintenance be scheduled in away that minimally disrupts other work related activities, etc.

From an enterprise perspective it is possible to monitor labor costswhich may reduce the cost of ownership of a corresponding fleet ofmobile assets 12 maintained at a site. For example, data mined from themobile asset application server 14 may reveal how long each operator isactually performing lifting operations, driving operations, the distancethat the mobile asset is being driven, and other asset operatingcharacteristics. This data mining may assist the site operator inoptimizing site layout, selecting the most appropriate mobile asset forthe activities implemented at the site, and/or performing otheroptimizations. For example, if a lightweight mobile asset 12 isapproaching the weight limits of its forks, an analysis of datacollected by the mobile asset application server 14 may recognize theseevents and recommend that those tasks be re-allocated to another mobileasset 12 in the fleet that has capabilities better suited for thosetasks.

The site operator may also interact with the mobile asset applicationserver 14 to set up operator authorization, which may be based uponfactors such as location, types of mobile assets,license/certifications, asset serial numbers, time, day, date, etc.

A user may also interact with the mobile asset application server 14 toimplement the paging system described more fully herein. For example,from a dialog box of the mobile asset application server software, auser selects the mobile asset and/or mobile asset operator to be paged.The user then types a message into an appropriate dialog box and themobile asset application server software delivers the message to theappropriate mobile asset(s) via the mobile asset information linkingdevice 38 associated with the appropriate mobile asset(s) being paged.

An administrator at the mobile asset application server 14 may also beable to lockout mobile assets 12, for example, to suspended operation ofa select mobile asset 12 for a prescribed period of time or until thesupervisor releases that mobile asset 12 back to the fleet. This may beuseful, for example, to ensure that maintenance and other routinerepairs are done, or to implement other defined tasks. For example, asystem supervisor may enter a lockout command into an appropriate dialogbox, and select either an asset operator, group of asset operators,mobile asset or group of mobile assets to be locked out. The mobileasset application server 14 sends a lockout message to all appropriatemobile asset information linking devices 38 to effect the desiredlockout transaction. The lockout may then expire, such as after apredetermined period of time, or the supervisor may manually initiate acorresponding process to release the previously locked mobileasset(s)/operator(s).

Training Recommendations

The mobile asset application server data may also be analyzed todetermine upcoming training needs. For example, by monitoring recordeddata, such as the time a user operates a mobile asset, whether there hasbeen some inefficiencies in the asset operation, whether there wereimpacts recorded, etc., specific training recommendations and needs canbe implemented.

Workflow Scheduling

A mobile asset information linking device 38 in conjunction with themobile asset application server 14 may also be utilized to predictand/or recommend mobile asset related workflow, such as when a forkliftshould be brought in for battery charging. For example, the mobile assetinformation linking device 38 can monitor the battery charge, and informthe application server 14 that a battery charge will be required with apredetermined range of time. The application server 14 can monitor peaktimes in which all of the monitored mobile assets are active/inactiveetc., and a schedule can be created that sequences the mobile assets forbattery charge or replacement to improve workflow.

Inter-Enterprise Interface

Depending upon the implementation, an enterprise may allow a trustedthird party to connect to the mobile asset application server 14 and/orto specific mobile asset information linking devices 38. For example,the remote server 30 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 may communicate withthe mobile asset application server 14 via the network 32. In thisregard, data that is deemed appropriate, may be shared with the partiesof interest. For example, it may be advantageous to the enterprise 26 toshare data that may be of interest to the mobile asset manufacturer, orto the asset component part/peripheral manufacturer, as suggested by theillustrative examples described more fully herein.

A Remote Service Diagnostic Tool

The mobile asset application server 14 may be utilized to enable aremote service diagnostic tool. For example, a predetermined event maybe detected that is associated with an error in operation of a materialshandling vehicle. The processor of the interface controller 50 may beconfigured to initiate a remote diagnostic check of at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle and information may begathered that is related to at least one condition of the materialshandling vehicle by communicating the gathered information across thematerials handling vehicle network bus. Information concerning the errorevent may be wirelessly communicated between the application server 14and the materials handling vehicle via the transceiver 46 bycommunicating the gathered information to the application server 14,communicating the gathered information from the application server to aremote third party server for remote service diagnostics and receiving amessage back to the server computer from the third party servercorresponding to the remote service diagnostics.

A mobile asset manufacturer may, for example, remotely diagnose aproblem, understand the issues and correct the problem with the mostappropriate personnel. This may comprise, for example, implementing asoftware upgrade, patch or fix by electronically transmitting the patchto the mobile asset for automated installation as described more fullyherein. It may also comprise sending appropriate diagnostic data toservice representatives so that they may bring the correct part on sitefor a repair, or to select the most appropriate personnel to send to thesite to implement the repair or other asset activity.

The manufacturer may also be uniquely positioned to analyze thecollected data for preventative, diagnostic and/or anticipatorymaintenance and repair by monitoring the mobile asset for symptoms thatmay lead to eventual problems that need to be addressed. Accordingly, byproviding appropriate details of asset performance back to itsmanufacturer, proactive steps may be taken.

Remote Set Up and Configuration

If a mobile asset 12 comprises upgradeable software, firmware, etc., themobile asset information linking device 38 can be used as remote setuptool that allows a third party to remotely access the mobile asset 12.For example, an asset manufacturer or asset component/peripheralmanufacturer may remotely communicate with the mobile asset 12 toperform upgrades and patches and other maintenance related to softwarerelated to the information linking device 38 and/or to software relatedto asset components in a remote manner. Further, purchased upgrades maybe enabled by remotely unlocking or otherwise enabling software featuresof components of the mobile asset 12 as part of the correspondingupgrade plan.

Remote Monitoring Service

A trusted third party, such as the mobile asset manufacturer, may alsobecome proactive in providing monitoring services with regard to assetoperation. For example, if an impact or other relevant event is detectedinvolving a mobile asset 12 at the remote server 30, such as via amessage received from a corresponding mobile asset application server14, an appropriate action may be taken. That appropriate action maycomprise, for example, notifying an enterprise manager of the identityof the asset involved in the impact, logging data, triggering workflows,etc. Further, if the impact caused damage to the asset, a manufacturerrepresentative may better be positioned to assess the extent of thedamage and take proactive measures, such as preparing a maintenanceorder and pre-ordering replacement parts necessary to return the assetback to satisfactory functioning condition.

The manufacturer may also be able to compare the collected data of aparticular enterprise 26 and provide indicators, either directly orindirectly, of where the asset operators in that enterprise 26 areunderperforming against similar workers in other enterprises 26,outperforming similar workers in similar enterprises 26, etc.

The trusted third party, such as the asset manufacturer, can alsomonitor asset usage, such as where planned maintenance schedules havebeen established, so that the enterprise manager does not need to makethe appropriate service calls when the mobile assets are ready formaintenance. Rather, the manufacturer will already know when theappropriate maintenance thresholds have been met and implement theappropriate maintenance strategy.

Such an approach may also enable new business models for determininglease rates for mobile assets 12. For example, lease fees may be chargedby hours of use, distance traveled, pounds lifted, etc.

Product Improvement/Life Monitoring

Moreover, maintenance records and other information pertinent to assetusage that is shared between the enterprise 26 and the manufacturer mayprovide manufacturer specific data, such as real-world component lifetesting data. The mobile asset application server 14 may also be used tomine ergonomic data, use data, wear data and other relevant informationthat is of interest to the asset manufacturer. For example, bymonitoring feature usage, i.e., what features are being used and theorder and sequence in which features of the various monitored mobileassets are being used, it may be possible to infer ergonomicconsiderations to enable feedback driven redesign and new productdevelopment. For example, a control or feature that is implemented butnever used may be eliminated from future models. Alternatively, it maybe learned that a control is being unused or underutilized because ofthe inconvenience from an ergonomic standpoint. This may trigger aredesign or reimplementation of those features into more ergonomicfriendly implementations.

Based on any number of factors including for example login ID codes andassociated metadata, sensors on the mobile asset 12 and other extrinsicsources of information, the mobile asset application server 14 can beused to mine ergonomic indicators of mobile asset operatorcharacteristics. In a simple example, each user may have metadata storedon the mobile asset application server 14 that is associated with theirlogin. This metadata can comprise, for example, whether or not theoperator is male or female, the height and or weight of the operatorand/or any specific physical characteristics of the operator. Each timethe operator logs onto the asset, the mobile asset application server 14gains information that can be analyzed to determine usage of the mobileasset from an ergonomics perspective. The operator metadata may becorrelated, mined and otherwise analyzed against collected data such ashow many times each operator is pushing certain switches, initiatingcertain control sequences and performing other mobile asset operationtasks.

Third Party Value Added Service

Either an enterprise expert or a trusted third party, such as the mobileasset manufacturer, may be able to mine data collected by the mobileasset application server 14 to perform a flow analysis where a floorplan is mapped out and WMS system recommendations or changes may besuggested to the enterprise operator. This may affect mobile assetdriving patterns, site layout, etc. Thus, the asset manufacturer maybecome active in improving the efficiency of its customers.

As another example, if a mobile asset 12 is being underutilized, such asa high capacity lift truck is detected as only lifting nominal weights,the manufacturer may be in a unique position to recommend that the sitechange the type of mobile asset 12 used for the types of identifiedtasks. Yet another example, by understanding the capabilities of eachmobile asset 12, such as size, speed, lifting capability, etc.,recommendations may be given to the site operator that will affect theway that the site is organized so as to leverage the strengths of eachmobile asset 12 to its particular work environment.

Yet a further example, by knowing and understanding the jobs that arebeing performed by the mobile assets 12 at a site, the assetmanufacturer can analyze the data and utilize specialized knowledge andinsight not available to the operators to recommend the purchase ofaccessories and or optional products that may simplify, reduce the costof, or otherwise enable more efficient implementation of the identifiedtasks performed by the mobile assets 12.

Certified Replacement Part Tags

RFID or other suitable tagging technology can be utilized in conjunctionwith the wireless capabilities integrated into the wireless mobile assetsystem in a number of ways to provide enhanced features andcapabilities. As an illustrative example, components of the mobile asset12 may be identified with an RFID or other suitable tag. If maintenancerequires that the component be replaced, the control electronics of themobile asset may verify that the tag on the replacement component meetcertain qualifying conditions and is thus suitable for operation. Thismay be utilized to gain an understanding of components, such as wearparts that require periodic replacement, and it may be used to ensurethat components are being replaced with properly qualified replacementparts. The information collected from reading the tags may becommunicated to the mobile asset application server 14 and/or the datamay be communicated to the remote server, such as the manufacturer'sserver 30 for data analysis.

Having thus described the invention of the present application in detailand by reference to embodiments thereof, it will be apparent thatmodifications and variations are possible without departing from thescope of the invention defined in the appended claims.

1. A method of integrating materials handling vehicles with enterprisecomputing systems comprising: providing a transceiver on a materialshandling vehicle, the transceiver configured for wireless datacommunication across a wireless computing environment; configuring aprocessor on the materials handling vehicle to communicate with thetransceiver for wireless communication across the wireless computingenvironment to a corresponding server computer; configuring theprocessor to communicate with at least one electronics component of thematerials handling vehicle across a vehicle network bus; configuring theprocessor to receive logon information to identify an operator loggingonto the materials handling vehicle; and configuring the processor toimplement at least one customization function on the materials handlingvehicle based upon the received logon information by: wirelesslycommunicating information between the server computer and the materialshandling vehicle via the transceiver; and interacting with at least onecomponent of the materials handling vehicle across the materialshandling vehicle network bus.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein: wirelessly communicating information between the servercomputer and the materials handling vehicle via the transceivercomprises receiving operator customization information from the servercomputer; and interacting with at least one component of the materialshandling vehicle across the materials handling vehicle network buscomprises communicating the customization information across thematerials handling vehicle network bus of the materials handling vehicleto customize at least one networked component of the materials handlingvehicle according to operator defined preferences.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising: obtaining customized settingsselected by an operator for at least one of a specific materialshandling vehicle or a specific type of materials handling vehicle for afleet having a plurality of materials handling vehicles; and storing theobtained customized settings at the server computer; wherein:configuring the processor to implement at least one customizationfunction on the materials handling vehicle based upon the received logoninformation comprises implementing operator customization; wirelesslycommunicating information between the server computer and the materialshandling vehicle via the transceiver comprises: identifying the operatorlogged onto the materials handling vehicle; identifying at least one ofthe specific materials handling vehicle or the materials handlingvehicle type that the operator is logged into; and obtaining theoperator's preferences for the associated materials handling vehiclethat the operator is logged into from the computer server; andinteracting with at least one component of the materials handlingvehicle across the materials handling vehicle network bus comprisescommunicating across the materials handling vehicle network bus toconfigure the materials handling vehicle for operation according to theoperator's preferences received from the server computer.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein: configuring the processor to implement atleast one customization function on the materials handling vehicle basedupon the received logon information comprises implementing performancetuning of the materials handling vehicle; wirelessly communicatinginformation between the server computer and the materials handlingvehicle via the transceiver comprises receiving a performance ratingfrom the server computer for the operator logged onto the correspondingmaterials handling vehicle; and interacting with at least one componentof the materials handling vehicle across the materials handling vehiclenetwork bus comprises communicating instructions from the processor toat least one vehicle component across the materials handling vehiclenetwork bus to selectively limit, disable or configure the performanceof at least one feature based upon the performance rating associatedwith that operator.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein theperformance rating is based upon an assessment of the operator's skillin operating the materials handling vehicle.
 6. A method of implementinga reconfigurable wireless communications system between a materialshandling vehicle and a corresponding server comprising: providing atransceiver on a materials handling vehicle, the transceiver configuredfor wireless data communication across a wireless computing environment;configuring a processor on the materials handling vehicle to communicatewith the transceiver for wireless communication across the wirelesscomputing environment to a corresponding server computer; providingidentification information from the processor on the materials handlingvehicle to the server computer identifying at least one of a vehicle oran operator; receiving customization parameters from the applicationsserver based upon the provided identification information; andreconfiguring at least one feature of the materials handling vehicleaccording to the retrieved customization parameters.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 6, further comprising: requiring an operator providean operator identification to log onto a materials handling vehicle; andverifying that the provided operator identification identifies theoperator as being authorized to operate the material handling vehicle;wherein: providing identification information from the processor on thematerials handling vehicle to the applications server identifying atleast one of a vehicle or an operator comprises providing the operatorinformation of the logged on operator; receiving customizationparameters from the applications server based upon the providedidentification information comprises receiving operator customizationparameters associated uniquely with the operator identification; andreconfiguring at least one feature of the materials handling vehicleaccording to the retrieved customization parameters comprisesreconfiguring at least one feature of the materials handling vehicleaccording to the retrieved operator customization parameters.
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, wherein: at least one customizationparameter comprises a language parameter, further comprising: displayingoperator messages on the materials handling vehicle in an operatorselected language from a plurality of language options.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 6, wherein: reconfiguring at least one feature of thematerials handling vehicle according to the retrieved operatorcustomization parameters comprises: performing at least one of updatingcurrent operator messages in a new language format selected by theoperator from a plurality of language options by downloading the newlanguage messages from the applications server or updating new operatormessages in a language format identified by the operator.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 6, further comprising: automatically adjusting atleast one of a seat position, vehicle control macros, and vehicleperformance characteristics based upon the operator identification. 11.The method according to claim 6, further comprising: rating eachoperator of the materials handling vehicle by at least one of training,skill or experience; wherein: reconfiguring at least one feature of thematerials handling vehicle according to the retrieved operatorcustomization parameters comprises: identifying a select ratingassociated with an operator identification used to log onto thematerials handling vehicle; and adjusting at least one performancecharacteristic of the materials handling vehicle based upon the selectrating.
 12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:coupling said processor for communication with a plurality of electroniccomponents using a plurality of wires; wherein: reconfiguring at leastone feature of the materials handling vehicle according to the retrievedcustomization parameters comprises configuring the processor tocommunicate with the plurality of electronic components based uponparameters that assign specific functions to each of the plurality ofwires that couple the processor to the plurality of electroniccomponents.
 13. The method according to claim 6, wherein reconfiguringat least one feature of the materials handling vehicle according to theretrieved operator customization parameters comprises: setting aparameter to disable or limit the functionality of the materialshandling vehicle if the server computer determines that servicing isrequired for the materials handling vehicle.